« Blog Ideas | Main | Network Blow-out »
January 24, 2003
An Internet Exchange in Utah
One of the (perhaps long-term) projects I am working on is creating a national Internet exchange point in Utah. This will be as significant to Utah as being the meet-point for four interstate highways, or the meet-point for the railroads in 1869. Utah's role in the history of national infrastructure has striking similarities to efforts underway at UEN, UofU, Intermountain GigaPOP and other places.
In 1995, a friend and I worked at Internet providers across the hall from each other. Because we bought service from different Internet backbones, the path between our workstations usually went through Virginia or California, because that's where the Internet traffic exchanges were located where Internet backbones interconnected. Even more frustrating, any congestion or outage anywhere along that 5,000-mile-plus path or at the exchanges would affect our traffic, between workstations less than fifty feet apart. Out of sheer frustration, we started the Utah Regional Exchange Point to interconnect our networks locally. Utah REP, now called the Utah Community Internet Exchange (CommIX), interconnects most of the major ISPs in Utah and the surrounding region.
Fast-forward to 2001. I met with Phil Windley, then CIO at the State of Utah, to discuss Utah REP amongst other things. Phil took the idea to Governor Leavitt, who is now probably the only governor who knows what Internet peering is. Phil came back to me with a much bigger idea, taking the same concept to a national level. Phil had found in his economic-development visits around the country that good Internet connectivity, and preferrably a national Internet exchange, are fundamental to network-based economic development.
Utah is in a good position (well, better than some other states) to make this happen. Most of the fiber routes across the Western U.S. meet in Utah. We are also central to the Western U.S., so a lot of the surrounding states are served by telecommunications services that pass through or originate in Utah. This is also (that I'm aware of) the only state-backed project of its kind, which provides a high level of financial security, neutrality and long-term focus.
UEN is actively pursuing the establishment of a national exchange in Utah. Our sponsorship of and participation with CommIX has united local and regional networks in a common interest for better connectivity. The CommIX model we are developing with Utah municipal networks furthers that local momentum. The national peering we began late last year expands our influence to a national level and begins directing national attention towards Utah. Baby steps.
Creating a national Internet exchange in Utah may take decades. I may be long gone (from UEN) by the time it happens. Our active involvement in national and regional networks such as WestNet, National Light Rail, TeraGrid, and Internet2, and Homeland Security projects could significantly accelerate that time-line. It can't get worse for trying, and the efforts I am involved in now meet immediate needs for UEN and also support this long-term vision.
Posted by pete at January 24, 2003 10:13 PM