Profiting from the Looming All-in-One Global Network

http://www.networkmagazine.com/magazine/archive/1999/01/9901cov1.htm

This article, which contains a lot of technical vocabulary, starts by saying there are two practically global networks: the PSTN (public switched telephone network) and the Internet. Both move digital bit streams around the world on fiber optic cables. Even though a very high proportion of Internet access depends on the PSTN's analog local loop, these two networks are radically different in many ways.

Questions:

1. Look at the figure referenced via hypertext link in the fourth paragraph of the article. Explain why general managers should or should not be concerned with terms such as PSTN, TDM, and frame relay.

2. The article talks about the "stupid network" versus the "intelligent network." What does this distinction mean, how does it apply to the Internet, and why is it important?

3. What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of the "new-breed Interexchange Carriers" mentioned in the article? These are companies such as Qwest Communications, Level 3 Communications, and Williams Communications.

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