When Bosack left Cisco in 1990, he signed a noncompete agreement that kept the fledgling XKL from doing anything in the network market for several years. The company started out making mainframe computers that were replacements for Digital Equipment System 20s (Bosack actually helped build those, too, in the mid-1970s). By 2004, "we discovered that the optics industry was starting to make good" on its promises of low-priced, high-volume components, Michaels says.
That led to a fundamental insight: You shouldn't have to have a Ph.D. in optical physics to run a WDM fiber network, says Bosack. Implementing that idea took another three years, what Michaels refers to as the company's pure research phase.
XKL has survived mainly off Bosack's personal investment. Revenue has started coming in, but Bosack declines to comment on XKL's financial situation or its timeline to profitability. XKL isn't Bosack's only professional commitment; he also manages a group of hedge funds.NO FUSS
The core of the XKL system is the DXM Transport Terminal, a single rack unit for server racks. Designed for efficiency, ease of use, and reliability, the terminals provide Layer 1 WDM connectivity and path protection at bandwidths of up to 100 GBps. Each terminal has 10 channels, and IT departments can use a DXM "band combiner" to stack up to four boxes for a total of 40 channels. A typical XKL system costs about $100,000, or around one-third the list price of comparable telcom equipment from Cisco and Nortel, Michaels says.
DXM uses a conventional command line interface that most IT managers will find familiar. To configure and maintain the system, Michaels says, "all you have to do is type at it."
XKL has a limited track record, but the design point is to create high-speed networks that keep operating with minimal fuss. "Continuous operation is harder than people think," says Bosack. "It should be possible to take this system and run it for years in real time." So far, so good at the University of Washington. Once installed, says chief network engineer Sinn, "I haven't had to touch it again."
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.
