LIX-lebanese Internet eXchange

J4D · 2009-11-09T09:47:29+00:00

in the latest news we have got engineer George Baroud (related to Ziad Baroud) allegedly assigned as comm minister. he works at a local communications firm o...

battikh

BIX or LIX is technically just a shared room. terminate fiber there and upgrade the equipment, do the required configuration and what was called BIX becomes what you a referring to as LIX.

as for berytech hosting it, well, it happens that the chairman of berytech is also the GM of IDM, so he might have some interests into keeping it close to home. and would be kind of symbolic to berytech as they are a technology pole, so could be good for their reputation.

crazy

Well the people working on it are working at Berytech, some telecom teacher at ESIB is running the show. I can maybe get more information if its not a hush hush project til now.
I don't care who will be responsible for the improvement of technology in lebanon, anyone with a bit of money can do it. If I had several million dollars it would be me creating a company that would do that. If berytech wants to be it, let her shack her ass a bit more :)

As for Jad, if the BIX and LIX are practically the same thing with some hardware change and config change, well yes forget about it, and try to improve the BIX. If you have something good working where you can make adjustment its less costly, more productive and faster to do it then to create something new from scratch.
Sometimes you need to start from scratch, but I don't think that this project needs that.

J4D

im still discussing the issue with teo . he thinks its not bad and can be done as a start and then more PoPs just like it can be set up in other cities to form the lix because even if the BIX was updated to fiber it would still be BIX "only functional in Beirut" . teo is being of a lot of help guys and he is refining the document .

battikh

crazy wroteWell the people working on it are working at Berytech, some telecom teacher at ESIB is running the show.

then it's probably N.R, the other teachers that work in berytech companies are into programming...
N.R is like one of the coolest teachers :D
once in class, a student asked him if he could go to the bathroom, so he told him yes. Then when the student came back, N.R looked at him ma3 ja2ra and asked him: "what are you doing?"
Student:"hein? i'm sitting down..."
N.R: "and who told you you could come back?"
Student: "???? I asked you if i could go to the bathroom and you said yes..."
N.R: "i told you you could GO to the bathroom, i never said you could come back..."
and he made the student go out of class :P

damn, these were fun days :D

Aly

Correct me if I am wrong but the image doesnt make sense to me, as described in the pic the ISP (A or B) routers (Hardware in general) are connected via wireless links and the connectivity to the internet via a solid link (as the picture tells) but in fact it is the opposite, most ISP in lebanon are connected to the internet via Wireless links (Satellite) and their local routers (Hardware) are connected via solid links (Fiber or other).

battikh

^^ in lebanon, links between routers are often microwave links.
and is "solid link" even in the dictionary? that's not the word used in networking, i don't even think it exists in any field...

battikh

crazy wroteI can maybe get more information if its not a hush hush project til now.

doesn't seem to be hush hush...
http://www.berytech.org/content/view/567/34/lang,en/

and traffic in BIX peaks at 31mbps? what's the maximum that can be reached under the current infrastructure?
http://www.beirutix.net/statistics.htm

rolf

There is already a BIX and seing the statistics posted above, it is doing well.
So what are we discussing?

Joe

rolf wroteThere is already a BIX and seing the statistics posted above, it is doing well.
So what are we discussing?

good point. Does anyone care to explain what innovation may teo's solution bring?

rolf

BTW, is it possible to install your web servers at the BIX? That would be interesting.

crazy

This is what I am pointing out... if its the same thing we are just talking about a subject with very hiiiigh latencies :D

And yes, its N.R that is running the project battikh. I wasn't as ESIB, but I here the guy is very good.

@Jad, naming the project BIX doesn't mean that its only for beirut area. Maybe now its only there, but it will be developped for all the areas in leb... like adsl is doing, if you remember well it started in beirut only :)

battikh

i remember nuc or teo saying once that the BIX was getting saturated because of alfa's website, or something like that. i have no idea how precise this is, i might even be hallucinating and they might have never said that. but the thing is, it all depends on BIX's current capacity... if the maximum throughput is 30meg, then it's very bad :P

another thing is that IF it's good enough, it's good enough for now, for the crappy bandwidths users have and the absence of any kind of online service other than browsing facebook. but IF we finally get decent connections, nothing fancy, just the 1-2 mbps for everyone, i'm not sure that the current microwave-based infrastructure will be enough to transport the extra traffic.

another thing, is that it can open the door to "new" services (services that have existed since years in other countries). video conferencing, online backups, DR sites, ...

and i really don't know what's the priority, getting more international bandwidth, or LIX. we really need numbers to see...

rolf

I think the capacity of the BIX is determined by the investment that ISPs are putting in for their link with the BIX and the router that they install there.
I dont see of any way that can be improved...

J4D

its doing well ? 30mbps ! i guess maybe that was appropriate back in 2007 (when BIX was made)we are approaching 2010 wireless link don't suffice anymore and saying lets wait and see is no solution, as long as we experience the bad internet a solution is needed .@ aly: in Lebanon they use copper E1 cables cat5 cables as well as fiber all are simply classified by solid links as in touchable . and satellite up-downlinks are illegal hence i should not mention ;) . there is nothing wrong with the diagram :)

edit:

rolf wroteBTW, is it possible to install your web servers at the BIX? That would be interesting.

no need , if the BIX was set up correctly using fiber you can even install the server at home.

rolf wroteI think the capacity of the BIX is determined by the investment that ISPs are putting in for their link with the BIX and the router that they install there.
I dont see of any way that can be improved...

true , the same exact principle should be followed but replace wireless with fiber .

rolf

jadberro wrotetrue , the same exact principle should be followed but replace wireless with fiber .

dude, you dont get it, if an ISP wants to connect to the BIX today, they can use wireless, fiber, ethernet or even modem, its their choice. They have to make the connection and pay for it themselves. Thats the policy of the BIX.

J4D

im the only one getting it i know im pointing out the error wich is the wireless in order for an IXP (internet exchange point) to function properly they need to fiber up ! that would enable up to 1 gbps in contrast with the 20 mbps now . i know bix is not forcing anyone with the wireless but the ISPs choose wireless since its the easiest to set up , no cabling , cheap , relatively low maintenance.

battikh

if ISPs want to connect through fiber, they actually can't, there's no fiber laid, the infrastructure is not there. and coper is not really an option due to distance. microwave is actually their only option.
and it's an initiative that has to be taken by all ISPs. If 1 ISP brings his fiber to BIX and others are on 10mbps links, if this ISP brings 100mbps of traffic to BIX, it's not going anywhere...

rolf

jadberro wroteim the only one getting it i know im pointing out the error wich is the wireless in order for an IXP (internet exchange point) to function properly they need to fiber up ! that would enable up to 1 gbps in contrast with the 20 mbps now . i know bix is not forcing anyone with the wireless but the ISPs choose wireless since its the easiest to set up , no cabling , cheap , relatively low maintenance.

Well then i am the one who doesnt get how you are planning to force ISPs to pay for and install a better link.

battikh

^^ it's the gov that is supposed to lay down the fiber across the country, they're the one owning the streets and their underground...
they LEASE fiiber to ISPs. If the lease price can be justified by an increase of income due to better service, new services available, decrease in the costs of bandwidth due to the need of fewer illegal satellite links, ... then why not? plus, if we end up getting more international bandwidth, you need a way to distribute it across the country. If we keep getting more and more bandwidth from outside, we will reach a day where the current infrastructure will not be able to supported. going fiber is not an option...

J4D

guys they never learn :(

"الهيئة المنظمة للاتصالات" أصدرت ثلاثة تراخيص موقتة: ستؤمن الشركات خدمة الإنترنت والبيانات من خلال "الحزمة العريضة

أعلنت "الهيئة المنظمة للاتصالات" أنها منحت في 27 تشرين الأول الماضي، ثلاثة تراخيص موقتة لثلاث شركات لبنانية، هي: "ترايسات" (TRISAT SARL)، و"أل.سي.أن.سي" (LCNC SAL)، و"وايفز" (Waves SAL).

وأوضحت في بيان اليوم، أن هذه الشركات "كانت قد منحت، وفق الأصول، تراخيص اتصالات قبل بدء نفاذ القانون رقم 431. وقد أنهيت هذه التراخيص عام 2001، لكن مجلس شورى الدولة أعاد العمل بها لاحقا عام 2003".

وقالت الهيئة: "وفقا لمبدأ المساواة في معاملة مقدمي خدمات الاتصالات في جميع أنحاء لبنان، اتبعت "الهيئة المنظمة للاتصالات" سياسة منح تراخيص الاتصالات الموقتة لجميع الشركات التي كانت مرخصة قبل استحداث الهيئة. ومن هذا المنطلق، منحت التراخيص الثلاثة لشركات "ترايسات" و"أل.سي.أن.سي" و"وايفز".

بناء على هذه التراخيص، يتعين على شركات "ترايسات" و"أل.سي.أن.سي" و"وايفز" أن تكون قادرة على تركيب وتشغيل شبكات خاصة بها. وهذا ما يرفع عدد مقدمي الخدمة المرخص لهم مع شبكاتهم الخاصة إلى 24.

وسوف تستخدم الشركات المرخص لها حيز الترددات المخصص لها على أساس وطني، لتأمين خدمة الإنترنت والبيانات من خلال "الحزمة العريضة"، بما يشكل، تاليا، قيمة مضافة للسوق الاتصالات اللبنانية".

وأضافت: "سوف تتاح الخدمات المذكورة أعلاه للجمهور في المناطق التي شخصت "الهيئة المنظمة للاتصالات" حالتها بأنها تتطلب المزيد من التغطية لتلبية احتياجات السوق المتزايدة: سوف تغطي الشبكات في البداية منطقة بيروت الكبرى، ومن ثم ستوفر التغطية الوطنية تدريجيا.

في حين تنتظر "الهيئة المنظمة للاتصالات" سريان خطة توزيع حيز الترددات، ونظام منح الترخيص، فقد كررت التزامها بحماية سوق مفتوحة وشفافة وتنافسية. ويعتبر إصدار التراخيص المؤقتة الثلاثة الجديدة خطوة إلى الأمام، تسهم في تعزيز المنافسة في سوق الاتصالات اللبنانية، وتشكل محطة مهمة باتجاه تحرير السوق".

wireless again !

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