New study claims Internet will exceed capacity by 2010

An alarming new report is predicting that the Internet could literally run out of room by 2010 if backbone providers don’t invest in new infrastructure. The study from the Nemertes Research Group says the backbone needs an estimated $42 to $55 billion invested in capacity in the next 3-5 years to keep up with the ever growing net. The increasing demand for music and video streaming and peer to peer networks is to blame.

“Our findings indicate that although core fiber and switching/routing resources will scale nicely to support virtually any conceivable user demand, Internet access infrastructure, specifically in North America, will likely cease to be adequate for supporting demand within the next three to five years.” says the study.

Internet users will create 161 exabytes of new content this year. One exabyte is the equivalent of about 50,000 years of DVD quality video.

Read [Nemertes]