> Why does BW cost so much?
It might make more sense to ask "Why is bandwidth so cheap (and getting
cheaper so fast) in the US?" The simple answer is: Moore's law, competition
(leading to a "fiber glut") and economies of scale.If you're across an ocean from the US, you have to factor in the cost of
running underwater cable.
Actually, this was/is a troll. BW costs outside the US are high
because of two things: ) International tariffs based on voice
traffic profiles. )local tariffs from monopoly carriers that
contribute significant % of a soverigns GDP.
The first is a legacy holdover that should be revised. The second
is a tough nut to crack.
Trans-oceanic capabilities will remain a bottleneck, but they
are not as problematic as in the previous decade. Witness Tyco
or any of the other folk that have cable-laying capability. Last
year they had waiting lines for boats. Now the boats are idle.
Too much capacity in water and no-one taking it up. (see first
point above)
YMMV.
--bill