Archives for 2014

Packets are not pizzas: Why ISPs are content, not carriage

Is an ISP content or carriage? The answer seems to be blindingly obvious: telecoms is about the carriage of bits over a distance, and ISPs are typically run by telcos, and it’s the Internet applications that are the content. You can see Justice Scalia make this argument in the famous Brand X case, where he mocks people who argue that […]

The top 3 telco challenges in enterprise communications

I have just finished writing a report for a client on enterprise communications (with support from my many associates). It closes with the top three technology challenges that network operators need to face up to in the next decade. An edited version is reproduced here.

What is ‘stationarity’, and why does it matter?

This article is about the most important networking term you’ve never heard of: ‘stationarity’. How to fetch two pints of milk from the store? Do you have kids? Good. If not, just imagine for a moment that you’re a parent. You regularly send your teenage child to the shops to buy some fresh milk. You […]

Why Active Queue Management should worry telco investors

You may be interested to know that the IETF is pushing a technology that potentially undermines the economic basis for the Internet. This is called “Active Queue Management”. It is the response to a technical problem whose (mis)diagnosis has been labelled ‘bufferbloat’. When long queues build up in routers, real-time and interactive applications are prone […]

How do junk and infidelity make SDN risky?

I gave a short speech today at SDN & Openflow World Congress in Düsseldorf. For your benefit, I have turned my notes into an article that introduces the ideas of ‘junk’ and ‘infidelity’. These are important engineering terms that aren’t (yet) widely known.

Network Neutrality: Fantasy or Folly?

I have been invited to write on network neutrality for the industry newsletter VA Telekommarknaden. They are covering the European Telecommunications Network Operators meeting #46GA in Stockholm tomorrow (Friday 17th October).

DCMS consultation on Digital Communications Infrastructure Strategy

This document is a joint response of Predictable Network Solutions Ltd and Martin Geddes Consulting Ltd to the UK’s Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) consultation on Digital Communications Infrastructure Strategy.

Fit for Purpose Broadband for Business

I joined Hank Hultquist of AT&T, a leader in network policy and regulatory affairs in a Phoneword forum webinar.  The topic of discussion was “Fit for purpose broadband for business”.

There is no quality in averages

I have uploaded a tweaked and annotated version of my presentation today at IPX Summit. Summary: We’re using the wrong metrics to describe “success” in building quality-assured broadband services. As a result we don’t deliver success, either in terms of cost or performance. If we change our metrics to ones that reflect the customer experience, […]

Why Talko is worth talking about

I don’t usually review products or services, as my job in life is to ignore the market noise and find the deeper truths that can guide us. Today I’m making an exception to that rule, because I think a new product is a potential game-changer that is worth watching closely. A few weeks ago I […]