The WSJ reports (paid sub. required) that despite growth in internet usage, 85% of fiber, much of it built out during the bubble, is still unused and the portion used is not fully exploited. In total, approximately 5% of available capacity is being used. Quote:
What happened?
For one thing, some of the fiber-optic network companies that faltered, including Global Crossing Ltd., have continued to operate instead of going away as many assumed would happen. Meanwhile, technological advances keep boosting the capacity of the fiber that already is in use. And while millions of Americans now have high-speed Internet connections and use bandwidth-hungry applications such as online video, no new data-heavy “killer application” has arisen to sop up the excess capacity of those high-tech lines.
Via BNA’s Internet Law News.
