2008 Year in Review: The battle against bigger bytes

The Internet is disappearing before our eyes, or rather, the network capacity supporting the Internet is disappearing, running dry beneath our fingertips. Nemertes Research just last month renewed the concern it first discussed in a late 2007 study that broadband user demand will out-strip Internet bandwidth availability within a few short years. The research was followed by other predictions of unheard of exabytes and zettabytes of traffic weighing on Internet infrastructures.

Amid economic downturn and shrinking capex, it seems unlikely that telecom network operators will be able to keep up and build the necessary capacity into their networks, though one of the hottest technology innovations of the past year had to do with 100 Gbps transport technology. Many carriers tested it and said they will need it soon. Will they be willing to pay for it? And can 100G helps the telecom industry widen its pipes enough to keep Internet congestion at bay?

Related articles
Nemertes Research renewed concerns about Internet congestion this year [1]
One professor said we're panicking a little about Internet congestion [2]
Exabytes and zettabytes of traffic are starting to pile up [3]
100G tests have been pretty popular this year [4]
Verizon and Level 3 said they need 100G capabilities [5]