Fiber-Optic Internet

 

Vocabulary

neglect	feasible	simulation
lag	right (2)	fiber-optic
grid	provide	underserved
reveal	test lab	concurrently
at least	maintain	driving force
fiber	standard	commission
bulk	involved	infrastructure
region	strategy	small potatoes
urban	daunted	big players
rural	private	broadband
pay off	founder	co-founder
site	located	advantage
budget	ongoing	compressed
blank	worth it	competitive
recur	combine	expansion
annoy	structure	frustration
path	flexible	critical (2)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Video

 
 

Transcript

It’s still a test lab — but it’s a vision of the future: computer centers with fast data highways.

In Dusseldorf, Vodafone is running simulations of how fast the internet should be.

But it’s different in the real world, where Germany is lagging behind when it comes to grid expansion.

Vodafon chief strategist, Anna Dimitrova, is responsible for setting the expansion goals for Germany’s second largest network operator.

But the manager does not want to reveal what exactly those plans are.

Anna Dimitrova, Strategy Director, Vodafone Deutschland: “Everyone’s talking about high-speed internet and broadband expansion: the European Commission, the German government, Vodafone.

And I think they are right to.

The reason I say that, and what we have to do with it, is that digitization, or digital progress, is the driving force behind the development of society.

And behind that is infrastructure, meaning the networks.”

And in the future, that network will be made of fiber-optic cables, which would make internet connections at least 20 times faster.

And it’s the large service providers that will do the bulk of the expansion. They want to invest €8 billion this year.

But small companies will also be involved, like internet service provider, inexio from the state of Saarland.

The company has five thousand kilometers of its own network, small potatoes compared to the big players.

But company head, David Zimmer, isn’t daunted. He’s expanding the network in the underserved areas of rural Germany, where most German companies are located.

That costs a lot, and he can’t be sure if the investment will pay off.

David Zimmer, inexio Co-Founder: “So we have to make sure that these rural areas are maintained because it’s not about private customers . . . but rather the companies that are located there.

And which truly do have a competitive disadvantage.

We don’t want businesses all have to move to Frankfurt, Cologne, Berlin, or wherever.”

So the company is expanding the network throughout the country, with 40 construction sites ongoing.

Just a few more days, and the connection will be completed.

Workers use compressed air to blow the kilometers of cables into the earth. They have laid seven kilometers of fiber optic cables in two months at the cost of €2.5 million.

That means site supervisor, Jens Schemel, has to budget very carefully. It will all be worth it if he can keep his clients for eight to ten years.

Jens Schemel, inexio Co-Founder: “Of course, there are blank spots on the map which have so far been neglected by everyone. We tried to get them connected, but it’s often not economically feasible if there are only private households that we can connect.

So we try to combine projects and see if we can get a business customer connected too.”

For instance, an airport that doesn’t have high-speed internet, like the regional airport in Saarbrucken.

It’s difficult to do anything without modern technology.

And passengers are annoyed when the internet is slow.

For airport manager, Thomas Schuck, it’s a recurring frustration.

Thomas Schuck, Saarbrucken Airport Managing Director: “We have critical data situations with international exchanges. But we have half-a-million passengers here each year who use modern data structures.

That’s just standard.

So it’s essential for us in terms of our daily operations as well as having the international, technical standards.”

inexio wants to lay 300 kilometers of fiber-optic cables each year.

The company’s advantage is that it’s smaller and more flexible than it’s big competitors.

It already has 50,000 customers.

Jens Schemel, inexio Co-Founder: “We do what we can, and I think that we’re on a good path. We constantly have 40 to 50 projects that we’re working on concurrently, so we do our part.

And if the others do theirs, then it will move forward.”

The goal is a nationwide, high-speed, internet grid. So companies like inexio and Vodafone certainly have a lot of work ahead.

Questions

1. In the Vodafone laboratory, the internet is very, very fast, stable, reliable and powerful. Is this correct or wrong? Is it the same for the rest of Germany?

2. (According to Vodafon chief strategist) high-speed internet is not important, except for children and teenagers playing games, downloading movies and watching videos. True or false?

3. What is the key to having high-speed, stable, reliable, strong internet for everyone?

4. Why hasn’t high-speed internet been provided to everyone in all places? Is it cheap or expensive to laid fiber-optic cables?

5. What are the new or untapped markets for high-speed internet? Is there a technical problem, challenge or difficulty in providing this?

6. Big corporations always have bigger advantages over smaller companies. Yes or no? Are the small companies competitive?

7. What is the situation at the airport?
 
 
A. Describe the internet speed or grid in your city.

B. Is it important for everyone to have high-speed, fiber-optic internet connection?

C. Providing high-speed, fiber-optic internet grid should be a top priority of the government and businesses. Do you agree?

D. What may happen in the future?