MCI Cable Cut

[David Farber <farber () central cis upenn edu>]

From: "Joseph W. Stroup" <nettech () crl com>


Bong down the cable goes...... MCI suffers another fiber optic
cable cut in the Michigan area this week.  This cable was not
encased in any type of protective shield.  MCI has often decided
to save money and not encase critical cables only to regret the move
at a later date.  MCI also tends not to own its own fiber and this makes
the network more vulnerable.


As far as the ANS backbone goes.. there is only one T-3 to each location.
There is no backup / parallel T-3 in place.  Data can be re-routed but
not delivered if a link to -say- Ann Arbor is down. Down is down. For
what the NSF pays for service one would expect to have a backup circuit.
Strange thing...backup power for the equipment but no backup T-3. I would
never trust MCI with my data for any type of critical application. What
they have constructed is an Electronic Superhighway with out even so much
as a patch kit. Every carrier seems to have some problems but, MCI seems
to have more than the norm !


I watched AT&T lose 100 T-3 circuits only to have the software switch
everything in a matter of seconds. Backup lines must mean something.
If your going to be in the phone business in a serious way, you have
to build a network to a high standard. I mean build, not rent, lease,
or borrow - the build to own concept. At present an MCI residential
long distance customer has more protection than the T-3 ANS backbone.
The residential customer will get restored first in most cases.


Maybe the NSF required / negotiated some type of backup on the new
sol. ? I doubt it.