At the APRICOT 2025 conference, Internet Society director Steve Song highlighted the development of the Open Fibre Data Standard, initiated due to challenges in mapping Africa's fibre networks. He emphasized the disparities in information shared by carriers, leading to incomplete or confusing maps. Unlike submarine cables, which are well-documented, terrestrial fibre networks often lack clear data on capacity and ownership, complicating infrastructure regulation and limiting consumer understanding. Collaboration between regulators and the Internet Society is critical to improve transparency and access in fibre network mapping.
“A standard to do so is needed, he argued, because submarine cables are already well-understood and mapped at resources like the Submarine Cable Map.”
“He thinks there are probably three or four cable operators between the cities, and the others shown on the map are either resellers that have purchased capacity or dark fibres.”
“Song's work eventually came to the attention of the Internet Society (ISOC), the Mozilla Foundation and even the World Bank, which decided to develop a standard way to describe terrestrial fibre networks.”
“He also worries they mean governments can't clearly understand how to regulate the infrastructure, which is a problem for overall internet access.”
#open-fibre-data-standard #terrestrial-fibre-networks #internet-infrastructure #mapping-standards #apricot-2025
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