Comments on: Wall Street gains an edge by trading over microwaves

By: Abraham Paul

Abraham Paul — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 16:34:27 +0000

The criteria in deciding the type of media and transport depends on not only speed of transaction but also many other crucial issues such redundancy in network, reliability and serviceability during adverse weather conditions, exposure to natural and human made calamities and over and above the proximity of various systems and networks in the given space to restrict interference. Microwave links are fine in case of point to point connectivity systems such as between stock exchange to the network provider. Here also a sensible approach shall be a standby route using OF link. The common problem we find as in Mr. Gary’s suggestions is that when things are looked in isolation it seems fine but in conjunction of a large number of such systems in a small footage things get complicated. And that is the curse of planning high data rate mobility systems that has small cell coverage and connectivity of large number of cells each using discrete frequencies via short haul Microwave links become almost impossible. Here is the advantage of OF links as backbone and wireless for the last mile or shorter end links that could be made fail proof by number of standby systems and alternate routing methods. About Mr. Garys argument of speed loss due to latency in OF transport, I would say it is a non-issue as far as the it can offer real time transactions. Then the question is what is considered real time. The yard stick of real time in such cases can be taken as speed at which the Cinema film frames move which is only in terms of few milliseconds which would be quite fine for a stoke broken management transactions.

By: aidian

aidian — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 18:02:44 +0000

Wow, microwave links aren’t terribly reliable…ever see a live TV remote go down? Even fixed microwave links are subject to significant interference.

By: Craig Plunkett

Craig Plunkett — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 17:51:44 +0000

What is old is new again, as the McKay’s say. AT&T first used microwaves to connect 32 AoA and Chicago in 1947.

http://long-lines.net/places-routes/1st_transcon_mw/LL0949/02.html

The straightest line with the fewest segments will win this game.

By: Jerry

Jerry — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 19:35:48 +0000

Thanks to WolframAlpha, the answer is that to travel 719.5 miles from New York to Chicago at the speed of light would take approximately 4 ms (milliseconds). (Round trip appx 8 ms) Obviously the precise paths(including media characteristics)/transitions would have to be known to calculate the exact answer.

By: Kevin Fitchard

Kevin Fitchard — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 19:16:52 +0000

Hey Peter,

How are you? Sorry, didn’t get that info. Had to pull this one together from a quick e-mail interview.

By: Kevin Fitchard

Kevin Fitchard — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 19:08:35 +0000

Hi Jerry, I meant millisecond. Typo on my part. Thanks for pointing that out.

By: Jerry

Jerry — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 19:04:06 +0000

A millisecond is one thousandth of a second.
One millionth of a second is called a microsecond.
Which did you mean to use in the article?

By: petersvensson

petersvensson — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 18:52:44 +0000

What’s the total round-trip time?