July's steam pipe explosion on Lexington Avenue has caused landlords and property managers to radically after their thinking and reexamine their plans for providing a crucial business tool: high speed Internet access.
The explosion not only knocked out electricity for days, but also severed the incumbent carder's network connection - completely disrupting phone service and Internet connectivity to area businesses.
Because the majority of the buildings on Lexington Avenue relied solely on one carder connection for Internet access, businesses lost millions of dollars in revenue.
For example, it has been estimated that brokerage firms near the explosion lost over $6 million an hour because they could not transmit or receive vital market information and banks were losing upwards of $26,000 an hour because ATM's were unable to connect to the bank's central network All of these disruptions and financial losses left many speculating; what if a similar incident happened down on Wall Street? The ramifications would be devastating.
Securing 24/7 access to the Internet isn't as cut-and-dry as calling up your local provider and asking for a second connection. New York's fiber infrastructure is dominated by a single carrier, which factors in a buildings age and location before installing a high-speed network. Older commercial buildings as well as buildings located in areas of Manhattan not traditionally known as business centers generally have to wait years before they can have a fiber-based network.
Even for buildings that have a high-speed network, a second connection is still a troubling issue. Because the carrier's fiber can be resold through smaller vendors, many building owners are buying the same fiber connection twice, thinking they have an effective back-up plan. If source fiber is disrupted or severed, the second connection is cut off as well. However, with the incumbent having an effective monopoly on New York City fiber infrastructure, few options are open for landlords to meet this obligation.
Building owners must look into a multiple connection plan, or true path diversity, to best ensure their information lifeline stays active in a crisis. A true path diversity arrangement is a connection to the Internet that does not touch the incumbent carrier, but offers alternative high-speed access ensuring there is an always-on connection to the Internet. If a building's broadband service is disrupted or severed due to an event or if the incumbent carrier is shutting down for routine maintenance, the diverse connection will allow tenants to switch to an alternate information path without disrupting day-to-day business or losing revenue.
What options are available to New York City landlords and building owners who are considering incorporating a diverse pathway to the Internet in their commercial properties?
In Manhattan, the best way to deliver diversity to older buildings is through fixed microwave radios. The technology behind microwave radios has moved far beyond the technology available ten years ago, when large antennas on rooftops were the norm.
With today's microwave units roughly 1' X 1' in size and about 3 pounds in weight, they can be installed with little to no downtime.
Microwave networks do not touch the incumbent carrier and do not rely on the existing infrastructure for a connection. Typically, microwave networks and technology run on network hubs, which connect to a centralized location.
Landlords are turning to microwave networks not just for diversity. Microwave radios allow high-speed Ethernet access in buildings that cannot have a fiber-based network installed due to location or architectural limitations.
Also, because a microwave network does not touch a building's copper wiring, the bandwidth it provides is not limited, allowing tenants a greater choice on the types of service they require.
To better make sure tenants have a second secure layer to the Internet, landlords and property owners who are considering implementing a true path diversity plan should ask a number of questions:
How many of their current tenants are reliant on Internet access? If they have multiple connections, what are the access points and who is ultimately supplying the Internet access?
Is an option like the incumbent carrier available or is the building too old or in a location where the incumbent carder isn't willing to install a connection?
Can the businesses inside the property survive any downtime if there is a disruption of service?
This true multi-connection plan benefits building owners above and beyond disaster preparedness or retaining tenants. A diverse connection immediately adds value to a building as a service that can be offered to prospective tenants.
For some landlords, this allows them to attract the attention of bandwidth-hungry businesses and those relying heavily on the Internet. Traditionally, these types of businesses will pay higher rents for high-speed Internet access, immediately raising the property value of the building.
Building diversity is a crucial component for all commercial realty. Don't let your business be caught with no connection to the Internet when the next disaster or crisis like that on Lexington Avenue early this year strikes. This is the perfect New Year's resolution that will benefit everyone year round.
ROBERT SCHIFF, CEO, RAINBOW BROADBAND
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