Re: Info on MAE-EAST

[Jeremy Porter <jerry () fc net>]

This is even considering if MAE-Houston will have more than
one customer by the end of those 1 year service agreements in Feb.
Most of the people there don't feel $2000/month is worth it for
10mbps connections, particaurlly when other providers will give me
point to point 10mbps connections for $1000month (on-net).  Oh
and those are full duplex also.

Now if MFS has gotten some other players to show up and peer, then
it might be different, but there just isn't that much value in the
MAE-Houston right now. 

I almost would venture a guess that the whole value in public
interconnects is largely dead, due to the restrictive peering polices
in place by the larger networks, and the lack of interest/clue in
smaller providers.

In message <199701160458.WAA21766 () academ com>, Stan Barber writes:
> Brett writes:
> > MAE-Houston, a small NAP in the scheme of things, but it makes for a good 
> > example so we'll use it. $2000/month to get your foot in the door, then
> > another large chunk of cash to connect to the Gigaswitch which all things
> > considered, isn't really needed. Rather than waste their money on equipment
> > that all in all just doesn't need to be there, why not make it more economic
> > for local players to get involved and cross connect to eachother. In the end
> > you not only save money by not bringing in useless hardware but you garner
> > more customers by lessening the price of the private interconnect. 
>
> Perhaps the costs have changed and noone has told me, but the $2000/month
> for MAE-HOUSTON includes a 10Mb/sec local loop if you are on the MFS network 
> in Houston (more than 140 buildings, I believe). As far as I know, most of the
> participants (and I note that NOL is not one of them) are not hooked to 
> anything faster than a 10Mb/sec connection and none of them are co-locating
> at the MAE just for the purpose of connecting to it.
>
> So, I am not sure it makes a good example unless you consider the amount
> of traffic exchanged at MAE-HOUSTON. I believe that some of the participants
> would like either to get more traffic through the MAE or to have slower
> connections more in keeping with the amount of traffic they are actually
> exchanging. The peak usage is not much above 5Mb/sec during the last week.
> MFS had offered lower speed connections initially and then widthdrew that
> offering around the time the MAE came on-line. I thought that was a mistake,
> but it was and is MFS's business to lose.
> -- 
> Stan   | Academ Consulting Services        |internet: sob () academ com
> Olan   | For more info on academ, see this |uucp: {mcsun|amdahl}!academ!sob
> Barber | URL- http://www.academ.com/academ |Opinions expressed are only mine.

---
Jeremy Porter, Freeside Communications, Inc.      jerry () fc net
PO BOX 80315 Austin, Tx 78708  |  1-800-968-8750  |  512-458-9810
http://www.fc.net
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