UUNET provides global network standards in South Africa

UUNET SA recently announced the deployment of its ATM switched packet network nationwide, thereby making available to South African enterprises the same service facilities and access to bandwidth as are available internationally.

Says UUNET director, Edwin Thompson: "Until now, it has not been possible to give customers guarantees, in a scalable design, for example, of data delivery at specified rates at different points in South Africa. That has, in turn, had the effect of inhibiting South African organisations in the deployment of national e-commerce capability.

"What our new network means to South African businesses is that they can conduct their electronic business to the standard that is available to businessmen overseas."

As a result of the constant and geometric expansion of computing processing power and its resultant enabling effect on telecommunications technology, all significant telecommunications suppliers and network service providers are constantly upgrading their physical infrastructures and delivery technology.

Says Rob Lith, New Technologies Strategist. "Part of our job is to keep an eye on future developments, so that we don`t lead customers into blind alleys."

UUNET has chosen an ATM packet-switched network backbone - the preferred option for most of the world`s major telecommunications service providers. "The ATM and packet-switch facilities give us the best available means by which to guarantee service levels (such as committed information rates and privacy), while at the same time enabling us to utilise the Internet`s enormous reach.

"Also, our ATM core, together with packet-switching, positions us to take advantage of new technologies as they evolve - because relevant new technologies will evolve from these two systems."

ATM and packet switching technologies operate at a level very close to the physical infrastructure (the actual wired lines or satellite links). Lith points out that this gives customers the advantage of much higher speeds of transmission than is feasible on other systems. "The information does not have to pass through layers of software sitting on top of the physical infrastructure. Even so, ATM and packet switching can both be tightly controlled as to quality and service levels by the use of only a minimum amount of software."

Thompson makes the point that there is more bandwidth coming into South Africa than leaves it. "When it comes to Internet traffic, clearly there is more international material that South Africans go in search of than the Americans, say, would look for from us. For network providers in South Africa, it is important to be have sufficient bulk bandwidth to be able to supply South Africans with good, high-speed access to the global Internet. Few people are aware that there are already more than 200 Mbits/s of Internet bandwidth entering South Africa. UUNET currently provides 32 Mbits/s coming into the country and, by the end of August, will be supplying 49 Mbits/s.

"Also, you need redundancy. At UUNET, for example, we have set up our satellite connections in such a way that not only can we switch to a second satellite dish if links to the first one go down, but we can double our bandwidth by simply switching on more bandwidth on one of the satellites we use - the infrastructure is already in place.

"The important thing for businesses, though, is to know that their national, South African network access and facilities are superb. Good Internet access should be a given within the overall network infrastructure - a bit like being able to take for granted that your car has wheels.

"What local business needs is an excellent national network infrastructure providing the best possible existing and future options for doing good business in South Africa. After all, most South African businesses do most of their business locally and a good local e-commerce infrastructure is essential for enabling continued profit. All network service providers can give companies some way or other of linking to the Internet. Not all of them can provide good infrastructure at home. UUNET can do both."