INDRANET - Cheap Alternative to ADSL?

Peapod

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Please see http://www.indranet-technologies.com and let me know what you think? Techies, please could you let us know if this is an alternate that will discount our reliance on Telkom completely? If so, we, under the act, can omplement this solution without consultation with, or hindrance from Telkom.

From their website..."


IndraNet presents an entirely new, zero-based take on communication networks that at once redefines the corresponding markets, services, and the technological means to deliver those services.

While aspects of the technology are complex, the fundamental rationale is relatively simple.

In spite of a relentless drive to bring costs down, individually and in aggregate, most networks use layers of infrastructure that remain extremely expensive to establish, maintain and expand. Until now correcting the weaknesses of individual networks has meant adding more and more infrastructure (such as the mobile cell-phone in addition to the wireline phone). This has led to much unnecessary duplication of infrastructure and many unnecessary intermediaries throughout those webs. As a result, largely unaware, customers end up paying numerous times over for whole series of tasks that these networks perform to deliver their end-services and that are unnecessarily duplicated. While most end-users could no longer do without them, overall and in aggregate, the webs of networks they use and subscribe to are not only very expensive, but their costs tend to increase relentlessly. .

Further, with the current technology mix, and even with the emerging third generation communication technology, less than 20% of the global population has ever made one single phone call or, at the current rate, ever will in their lifetime. In other words, most of the global population is left out of modern communication and networking developments and huge potential markets remain undeveloped.

To Break-Away Free.

IndraNet has made a number of breakthrough discoveries that were entirely driven from its customer-based analyses. Having observed that most current telecommunication and networking technology developments are essentially additions and marginal improvements to the existing body of technologies and that this general orientation now faces severe constraints and limits, IndraNet decided to adopt an extreme. approach and ask:

"Starting from a zero base, based on present day knowledge, what would be the most cost-efficient and most elegant way of meeting emergent networking requirements?" .

While preserving compatibility with relevant existing technology and systems (such as Internet protocols, and a number of telecommunication standards), IndraNet’s aim was to develop a totally independent system that could deliver absolute competitive advantage to its clients, . that is to say developers and operators of networks of all kinds, that would maximise benefits to the final customers.

IndraNet’s first discovery was, with hindsight, obvious: . ITL’s research programme established that in most countries, if not all, customers are paying several times over for a wide range of services of poor quality relative to what could be achieved, that are all involving, or are related in some important ways, with networks, communication technologies, and telecoms. ITL found that the main fundamental reason for this state of affairs was the excessively hierarchical nature of the systems involved. . This research also did show that the potential for savings and service enhancement was extremely high. In some instances IndraNet may be able to slash nearly 100% of a customer’s present operating costs.

IndraNet’s second discovery was less obvious: . with emerging technology it is feasible to apply some basic principles of systems analysis and cybernetics to integrate numerous networks into non-hierarchical networks of networks (NoNs). IndraNet established that this would transform all networked services and achieve massive economies of scale by eliminating market intermediaries and unnecessary infrastructure. IndraNet’s findings apply to all forms of networks that require distance communications for transfer of information or data and/or for the management of networks. This applies to all network infrastructure be it wired, cabled, piped, broadcast, and wireless.

IndraNet’s third discovery was not at all obvious: . it was a novel way of developing self-managing and self-routing communication networks that eliminates the need for most of the existing communication infrastructures. In the case of telecommunications, this includes, exchanges, wires, cables, cells, and cellular towers.

In Lay Terms.

IndraNet's core technology is a new architecture for networks. It is compatible with, applicable and complementary to, most network technologies whether they deal with sewerage, water, transport, energy, computing or communications.

All existing networks require extensive communication at a distance for their operation and management. The further aim of those networks that are telecommunication networks is to also enable people to communicate over large distances. All existing networks are designed around the assumption that communicating with another place is expensive.

IndraNet’s view is that communicating across distances can be low cost, easy, and of high quality. Once communicating is cheap, then most other networks that require communication become cheap too. IndraNet has found a way to achieve this and has satisfied itself that its solution works. It is poised to deliver significantly higher quality and far more economic services than at present or than are currently envisaged for the near future."
 
Peapod,

You asked for a techie-type answer & I am going to give you one. There is nothing technical about their claims to be allow one to substantiate what they are saying from a technical perspective.

I have looked at your quote and the website. Sounds good. Just like many other network providers'/carriers' offerings. Lots of marketing bumf with just the right amount of Harvard Business school adjectives thrown in.

I like what they say about strategy. But without disclosure of their strategy, technical or otherwise, there isn't much to differentiate them from any of the other guys out there.

Let's face some facts:

1a) Telecommunications worldwide has had a rough ride since 2000, after the dot-com crash.

1b) Multi-national telecomunications companies have invested billions in terrestrial and non terrestrial networks, and have over-extended their reach and roll-outs to the point where that are sitting with massive capacities as well as overheads in the maintenance thereof.

1c) New technologies such as DWDM have made the billions of strands of optical fibre that they have laid, redundant.

1d) Before the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, there were many "chancers", profteers and simply plain bullsh1tt3rs in the tech industry. People who simply didn't belong in the industry, but went along for the ride, for personal profit and gain. They have largely been shaken out, but some still remain.

1e) Investors are investors for profit and are therefore loath to invest in tech-stocks generally, and more specifically telecommunication stocks. This is partly due to the previous points and because of the thin profit margins that comes with a commodity market.

1f) The majority of good stuff out there on the Internet sits on servers that are many thousand of kilometes away. After all, this is what the Internet does -- it makes Planet Earth a global village.

It costs good money to get the goodies off the Internet if you are located in Africa -- because of three fundamental reasons:

2a) Most of the time you have to get stuff off servers that are in other continents.

2b) Telecommunications regulatory practices in almost all African countries, which, due to human nature, are exploited by state monopolies.

2c). Governments that have huge problems with the logistics of delivery.

To heal the Internet in Africa we need vision, a strategy and a lot of careful thought. We also need to study the past in order to divine the future.

IMHO I believe that the vision we need is to create a network within Africa that is comparable or better to that which exists in the United States and most parts of Europe today. In order to achieve this vision we need a healthy, vibrant public network that is chock full of goodies that people want (to get to). Including those that live in the 'States and Europe.

Once we are in a position to provide this, a natural trade of resources will follow with our counterparts on other continents, as opposed to us begging to "siphon off" digital resources from other continents.

If we look at the history of the Internet, we learn that many years ago it was a network that served a powerful military organisation, then an educational network serving tertiary learning institutions. It was only since 1994/5 that Commerce came on board.

So, once again, the Internet in Africa needs to get back to it's humble roots and serve educational institutions. Knowledge is power and it's both of these (but not all) that are in short supply in Africa. This is something that is so important that it should be included as a strategy in the NEPAD initiative -- and funded by the African governments. We will then have a reliable, stable platform for Commerce to climb onto. And have digital resources that can be traded with other continents. So much so that Commerce will realise the potential and take over the government's liabilities.

Governments that have the interests of the African people at heart will embrace the deregulation of telecommunications, because of the aforementioned and because of the fact that they will be stakeholders (and financiers!) of the African Internet.

To summate: IMHO, as a person with over 20 years hands-on experience with technology (and still going!), the technolgy or technologies used is fundamentally *irrelevant*. There will always be bigger, better, faster and cheaper ways to do things. Moore's Law proves it.

I am saying this because what I actually hear you (and thousands of others) saying that you want a bigger, better, faster and cheaper Internet.

And this will only happen with:

3a) Deregulation of Telecommunications in Africa.
3b) African governments as stakeholders and therefore executive sponsors of the African Internet.
3c) Public pressure on governments and governmental organisations to make 3a and 3b happen. Like yesterday.

To cut a long story short, it is my distinct impression that what Indranet Technologies are saying is a about as valuable as a digest of Ivy Matsepe-Cassaburri's achievements, or the minutes of an ICASA meeting. Nothing but hot air.
 
jfrancis - 100% accurate. The only way for Africa to get it's act together is getting the basic infrastructure services issue resolved. Low cost & effective telecommunications is a basic service.....
 
Hey jfrancis.
Thanks for the awesome response - i have done some research into the business and their website gives a totally skewed view on what they do and what their technology is.
Watch this space - wish i could tell more but it would just fry their strategy.
But thank you hugely for coming back with your response - to say i agree 100% with your argument would not be agreeing enough.
All the best
 
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