Market for diversity (was: Re: Cogent latency / congestion)

Sat Aug 25 21:12:20 UTC 2007

On Sat, 25 Aug 2007, Andy Davidson wrote:
> Is it not possible to require that each of your suppliers provide over a 
> specified path ?  I'm planning a build-out that will require a diverse path 
> between two points, and one supplier has named two routes, and promised that 
> they wont change for the duration of the contract.  Perhaps I am naive, but a 
> promise should be a promise.

Just naive.  Most people make assumptions about what was promised.  If it
sounds too good to be true, it probably is.  What the sales person 
promises, the fine print takes away.

http://www.atis.org/ndai/ATIS_NDAI_Final_Report_2006.pdf

You will find out no one will sell to you if the contract requires some 
things, and the alternatives are rather limited.

I would be more concerned about suppliers that promise things that aren't 
possible than suppliers that decline to sell things that aren't possible.
Unrealastic buyers are just as much of a problem as non-performance by 
sellers.

If anyone promises their network will never do down, they will never have
single paths, they are perfect; you should grab your wallet and run away.