Analyst blames operators and developers for high cost of networks

A senior analyst is claiming there is a huge gap in communication between network operators and software developers such as SAP and PeopleSoft. Unless they start talking soon, he says, end-users will be forced to spend more and more money upgrading their networks, but will never resolve the key issues.

Jean-Louis Previdi, European programme director for global networking strategies at the Meta Group, told Silicon.com: "Telcos and carriers do not have a clue how to integrate network applications. They are not talking to the software vendors about how to make bandwidth more efficient."

Mark Weeks, international communications manager for network operator World.com, responded: "We are looking at a variety of ways of making our networks more efficient. Although compression is not a priority, we offer a three-tier level of service to use up redundant capacity."

Previdi supports Cisco's Alliance for the Internet in Europe, which is attempting to make the Internet more efficient by setting up peering agreements between WAN operators, but said success was still two or three years away.