Bundled T1s Help Providers Beat Last-Mile Crunch

摘要

What happens when a T1 doesn't provide enough bandwidth but the economics don't support using T3s? A multi-T1 solution forming a virtual multimegabit access path may be the answer. That creaking and groaning sound you hear when you connect to the Internet is the last mile of copper struggling to keep up with the explosive demand for more bandwidth. Forecasts of escalating bandwidth demand are staggering. IDC estimates Internet users will increase from 148 million in 1998 to more than 477 million by 2002, and the number of Web pages will grow from 829 million to 7.7 billion over the same period. Forrester Research also expects phenomenal growth, predicting Internet commerce in the United States will exceed $300 billion by 2002.