Re: Cost of transit and options in APAC

[Benson Schliesser <bensons () queuefull net>]

On 12 Aug 10, at 7:26 AM, Dorian Kim wrote:

> > Sadly, I have no first-hand knowledge of these costs.  How does in-country transport compare to trans-Pacific 
> > transport cost? (i.e. on a per Mbps per kilometer or similar metric)  I assume it's cheaper in-country / in-region 
> > compared to trans-oceanic.  Is this true?
>
> This is not an assumption you can make safely depending on the country and specific
> sub-region you are talking about.

That's fair; I'm not surprised to hear it.  But I'm curious about the details.  In specific cases like India and China, 
what is the underlying contributor to higher relative transport costs?  (i.e. taxes, ROW fees, extraordinary shipping 
or operational costs, inadequate competition, low supply, greed, etc)  Further, how does the situation compare to past 
examples like Europe?

I doubt the AP region is forever doomed to exchange traffic via the US, but can't quite anticipate change without first 
understanding the current environment.  Network interconnects are designed the way they are, today, for a reason.  If 
anybody has insight they can share on the situation I would appreciate it.

Cheers,
-Benson