more on Setting history straight: So, who really did invent the Internet?

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

Let me add just one thing to this -
True, international bandwidth is expensive, and across most landlocked
parts of Africa, provided over satellite instead of fiber.

However, local internet exchange points such as those in South Africa  
and
Kenya, help optimize local use of traffic, keeping local traffic  
local and
encouraging the growth of local datacenters at ISPs that connect to  
these
exchanges, thus encouraging local people to host content locally  
instead of
in the USA or elsewhere.  They also provide excellent places to host
mirrors of popular content, and perhaps an Akamai cluster as well - all
ways to ensure that local traffic isn't routed out through expensive
international links.

http://www.pch.net has an excellent record building ISP community  
supported
exchange points in several developing countries in Asia and Africa, and
those AFRISPA members that attended the recent AFNOG will have  
interacted
with people from PCH, such as Gaurab Upadhaya, and attended the  
workshop on
internet exchanges held there.

While nobody denies that international bandwidth is expensive, the  
cure for
that is to do what I mentioned above - encourage a flourishing local
internet community.

    srs


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