Ring of Fiber
Ring of Fiber
Councils of governments can combine the authority and purchasing power of their members to deliver better service. Furthermore, a textbook example can be found with the South Bay Cities Council of Governments (SBCCOG)’s effort to create a regional broadband network. This saves its member cities money while improving service. This is the ring of fiber
The South Bay Fiber Network project will create a ring of “dark fiber” around the South Bay by summer of 2020. (Dark fiber is dedicated and unmetered connectivity that provides nearly unlimited bandwidth options). The system will provide high-speed connectivity for carrier-grade internet service. A ring architecture protects the core network and automatically re-routes traffic in the event of a disruption. Bandwidth availability starts with 1 gigabit (Gb) and will scale to 10 Gb (and even higher speeds as members require). The system will also have two diverse internet “points of presence” (“POP”) at world-class data-centers in El Segundo and Hawthorne.
Local Cities Now Have Dedicated Access to High-Speed
Low Cost – Secure Bandwidth
The result will be that cities will be paying less for more service. The cities will pay about $1,000 per month for a minimum of 1 gigabit of service. However, the price will decrease as more services are linked to the system. Service (at slightly higher rates) will also be available for 2, 5, and 10 gigabits. To compare: A SBCCOG survey found that cities were currently paying an average of $3,627 per month. This is for internet speeds well under one gigabit.
Put another way, cities will be able to access 10-gigabit levels of data for cheaper than they are currently paying for less than 1 gigabit.