"We've been saying to Cisco and other hardware vendors that we need telco grade equipment for years," MCI's Fee said. "They're finally getting the message. When you put a box into a backbone network, it has to be available all the time. Rebooting a machine is not acceptable for telecom or enterprise broadband suppliers."
Fee said some of the new software features of Cisco's CRS-1 -- such as its ability to update and reconfigure without ceasing operation -- are standard stuff for most TDM telco switches.
"We've been doing things like quality of service in the PSTN and over Frame Relay for years," Fee said. "That's one reason why IP services haven't been rolled out earlier, because IP has always been about 'best effort' delivery. That model does not work [in the carrier world]."
Fee said attention to telco needs is what let Juniper Networks (which introduced its carrier-class router two years ago) trump Cisco in the service-provider market.
"Cisco is coming to a party that started two years ago," said Pradeep Sindhu, CTO and founder of Juniper, in an e-mail exchange. "Today the challenges facing carriers are focused around building networks that deliver reliability, security and service quality -- and enable them to generate revenue. These are the challenges Juniper is addressing today."
Subsea cable alternatives can provide a level of comfort for those concerned about disruptions. Realistically, they will continue to play a small, but critical role in the short term.
Maintaining existing network infrastructures often incurs huge technical debt before newer technologies are adopted over time.
Amid ongoing regional uncertainties, telecom infrastructure in the Middle East has expand to include terrestrial low-latency network infrastructure, which offers resilience and agility in navigating political complexities without relying solely on undersea networks.
