- Related Stories
-
Web trains eye on Wilma
October 20, 2005 -
Cingular braces for Wilma
October 20, 2005 -
Katrina dollars may not mean tech largesse
October 19, 2005 -
Tools for the ultimate high-tech survival kit
September 30, 2005 -
Katrina spurs federal action on VoIP
September 22, 2005 -
In Katrina's wake
September 8, 2005
(continued from previous page)
disaster, it is one of the most resilient and reliable communications networks. The benefit of the Internet and the underlying technology is that they have been designed in a distributed fashion, with no single points of failure. So if one or two links are destroyed, traffic automatically finds a different path.
The traditional phone network is built on circuit-switched technology, which establishes point-to-point links. One call is routed by connecting directly to a destination on the other side. But an IP network is built like a mesh; when calls are made, it establishes connections as the call is passed from one part of the network to the next until it reaches the final destination.
Many phone companies, including Verizon and BellSouth, are starting to convert parts of their networks to IP. But, although traditional phone networks eventually will adopt IP technology, that won't solve all the old problems, like access to electrical power.
According to media coverage of an industry event in Boston last month, Bill Smith, BellSouth's chief technology officer, cautioned audience members during a keynote speech that IP technology is not a panacea for increasing network reliability during a disaster. You can't count on a lucky break like emergency power returning and a T1 line holding up, he said.
"VoIP is a wonderful thing, but it has to run on something," he said, according to TelephonyOnline. "The biggest problem (in the areas hit by Katrina) was power. Most VoIP equipment runs on power. It does a disservice to the industry to create an impression that VoIP can run under any conditions. It requires some fundamental infrastructure."
See more CNET content tagged:
phone network, BellSouth Corp., hurricane, cellular provider, disaster
- File this under 'Obvious'
- by Bill Dautrive October 22, 2005 1:13 AM PDT
- News flash: electronics stop working when the power goes out. Details at 11.
- Like this Reply to this comment
-
(4 Comments)