Networking

Sure, the Internet is just one notch down from the air we breathe on the list of things we can't do without these days, but Stanford University researchers say the 'Net could be a whole lot better.

China is set to become the world's largest Net user within two years, outsurfing the US.

According to figures for 2006 released by the China Internet Networks Information Centre (CNNIC), the People's Republic now boasts 137 million Internet users, up 23.4 per cent year on year. Current industry estimates put the US numbers at 210 million.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology Network Manager/Security Architect Jeff Schiller is leaning back in a plum-colored recliner in his office, but he isn?t relaxing. The victim of a back problem that has forced him to forgo a more traditional office chair for now, the 25-year MIT network veteran has more than enough to do, with the school forging ahead with several major network projects, including a massive VoIP rollout and its foray as a regional fiber-optic network operator. Schiller covered the gamut in a recent interview with Network World Executive News Editor Bob Brown.

The Amsterdam Internet Exchange (AMS-IX) is claiming to be the world's largest public Internet exchange, after setting a new traffic record earlier this month of 233Gbit/s. It says it now shifts more than 1.5 Petabytes a day, on behalf of over 250 ISPs and carriers.

THE Internet usage in the Middle East has witnessed a substantial increase of 480 per cent since 2000-'01, said a press statement.

To capitalise on this, VeriSign Inc., a leading provider of intelligent infrastructure for networked world, has opened its first Middle East office in Dubai and appointed Neil Batstone as Territory Manager.

MTC-Kuwait, a subsidary of MTC Group Operation, has today announced the deployment of its nationwide 3G mobile broadband network in Kuwait.

The new network, which is High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) enabled, is a part of a three-year multi-million dollar managed optimisation services agreement between Motorola and MTC-Kuwait to upgrade the Kuwaiti mobile operator?s network.

Hong Kong telecom authorities assumed emergency powers Tuesday as businesses faced disruptions to Internet links on the first day back to work after an earthquake damaged digital communications networks in the region.

Telecom providers and Internet service providers were giving the city?s telecom authority OFTA hourly updates on service capacity as repair ships struggled to mend fibre optic cables severed in the Boxing Day quake off Taiwan.

Asian companies may face Internet disruptions in the first trading day of the year as carriers rush to fix submarine cables severed by a 7.1-magnitude earthquake and its aftershocks off southern Taiwan.

Trading and online banking services may be slow because of traffic congestion as Asian markets including Hong Kong and South Korea resume operations after the New Year holidays. Cable operators such as Singapore Telecommunications Ltd. and Hong Kong's PCCW Ltd. are using backup fiber-optic links and satellite systems to reroute Internet access.

Almost every last week of the year, we normally look forward to spend time with family members while we try to finish off our remaining annual leave for the year as much as possible. Unfortunately, the last week of every year is the most challenging week for an Internet company like us. Knowing that most service providers are operating with a skeleton of staff during this period, the hackers normally take the opportunity to crack any weak system they can find. After all, they have all the time in the world to do it amidst their year-end break.

Malaysia will launch its Internet exchange on Dec 15, said Energy, Water and Communications Minister Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik.

A Net exchange is a point for networks to interconnect directly rather than through a third-party network. With the exchange, the cost to consumers would be reduced and bandwidth speed increased.

The plan to set up the Malaysian Internet Exchange was proposed three years ago but failed to take off when the main players, TM Net Sdn Bhd and Jaring, failed to work together.