Hi-tech just got "scary-tech." As in, downloading at the speed of light. Not literally, but how does 322 terabits per second sound? Cisco Systems says that's enough to handle every person in China simultaneously on a video call, if that's something you've been dreaming of. And, that's not the half of it.
The CRS-3 (CRS stands for "Carrier Routing System") is the latest technological innovation from Cisco Systems. Cisco says it's new brainchild will "forever change the Internet and its impact on consumers, businesses and governments." Who's to disagree? A terabit, by the way, is a trillion bits. That's getting into budget deficit territory, and it's per second! The highest speeds of today's broadband connections are measured in megabits-per-second.
Now here's where it gets stupid: 322 terabits per second would allow you to download every movie ever made in 5 minutes. You'd be able to download the entire printed collection in The Library of Congress in 1 second. It would take the same amount of time to download the entire DNA sequence of 56,000 people.
The new CRS-3 router should be available by the end of the year after more field testing is done. Cisco Systems has sunk $1.6 billion dollars into the product's design and engineering. It is three times faster than it's predecessor and 12 times faster than Cisco's closest competitor. Pricing of the new large-scale core router will start at $90,000.
Because of the amazing growth of video online in all forms, Cisco says the CRS-3 is merely a response to this rapid uptick in video usage. Cisco Chairman and CEO, John Chambers says, "Video brings the Internet to life. You are moving from a messaging platform to a video platform." He predicted the bandwidth required for Internet video would grow by 200-500 percent per year: "The Internet will scale faster than any of us anticipate." We already know that is a certainty.
While the new Cisco router is targeting Internet providers and telecom companies, how it will play out with businesses will be an interesting phenomenon to watch evolve. The fact that the demand for bandwidth shows no signs of slowing is the main point to emphasize. Video, as we've literally seen with our own two eyes will play an integral fast-moving role in the fiber-optic future of the Internet.
As with any new technology, one can only imagine what the Net will look and feel like next week, next month, next year, 5 years from now, and into the next decade. It's about as mind-boggling as anything we have ever seen in our Web lifetimes. And, it's only going to get crazier out there. That you can count on.
About the Author: Grant Brad Gerver is an entrepreneur and creative consultant for Filibi.com: Free Online Classified Advertising and Printable Coupons with a 70% twist. Come post your free filibi ads today. "Gerv" is also a YouTube (gbgerver) blues singer-songwriter and guitar player who performs with The Buzzard Brothers. He's a retired elementary school teacher who works in the mental health care field.
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