Essentially, the long-haul Internet becomes just the Interstate freeway connecting these local metro networks, with the majority of business traffic and content remaining in the metro area where it is close to the business sites and their customers. In the New Business Internet, competitive providers can offer a wide range of local, affordable, high-bandwidth business applications and services. But they will need more than larger pipes and near-infinite optical bandwidth to make the transformation. Instead, successful providers will increasingly grow their profits by selling differentiated, value-added business services. New and existing carriers agree that this transformation is well underway.
Raw bandwidth is no longer their major challenge, nor is providing access.
Telecommunications carriers realized that profits would not come from providing a dial tone but by providing enhanced call services such as call waiting and voice mail. This realization has spawned whole new classes of service providers. CSPs and ASPs, such as Global Center and eOnline, are offering outsourced applications and business processes. And regional IP carriers like Broadband Office are bringing whole areas of the country online with next-generation services. The transition from selling commodity optical bandwidth to selling services will require carriers and service providers to build an infrastructure that allows them to handle and profit from business traffic.