CIDR,Sprint and the Big Guys.

Fri Apr 5 18:50:14 UTC 1996

On Friday, April 05, 1996 3:58 AM, Tim Salo[SMTP:salo at msc.edu] wrote:
@> From: Avi Freedman <freedman at netaxs.com>
@> Subject: Re: CIDR,Sprint and the Big Guys.
<snip>
@
@We hear a lot about dual-homed ISPs and ISPs who want to change their
@upstream providers.  It would be very interesting to have some
@quantitative information about the size of these classes.
@
@(Or, are issues related to dual-homed ISPs and changes in upstream
@providers more theoretical than real?)
@
@-tjs
@

There is another very serious business reality when it comes to "upstream
providers". The InterNIC and the other "network engineering" bodies may not
have taken this into account.

The story goes like this...

ISP X is bidding on an important account with Company Y...there might be 16
other companies bidding for the same account...ISP X has a strong relationship
with one or more large "upstream providers" that also happen to sell long distance
telephone service...

It might happen that Company Y "dislikes" the upstream provider because of
a variety of reasons...maybe Company Y is owned by another similar company...
maybe a competitor of the upstream provider employs several thousand people
in  the area and the upstream provider is not welcome in the area...maybe the
upstream provider filed suit against a local university over an operating system
and the people have never forgotten this...

...the point is that the InterNIC can not have a full understanding of the local
and global politics that can determine which way these decisions are made...

By "coaxing" ISPs to their upstream providers and not providing them with
portable globally routable IP addresses, the InterNIC could be setting an ISP
up for failure...the InterNIC and IANA are not taking into account the business
realities of the world...

...furthermore, by providing "selected" ISPs with portable, and globally routable
IP addresses, the InterNIC and IANA are making it easier for some companies
to "win" bids like the one described above...ISP X may not have a chance because
they can not offer the same "independence" from a particular upstream provider
that might be desired by Company Y...because of historical reasons which are
not discussed...

--
Jim Fleming
UNETY Systems, Inc.
Naperville, IL 60563

e-mail: JimFleming at unety.net