Economic Development 2.0

August 2008, By Bill Trüb, businessfacilities.com

E-cities. Cyber communities. Broadband economies. Byte by byte, digital infrastructures are being built all around us, and visions of the future are becoming reality.

In our tech-hungry, forward-reaching business world, the days of dial-up Internet connections are tucked away in a file folder labeled "Outdated." The most progressive cities around the world are slinging webs of fiber optic wires throughout their communities, building networks of information highways, and growing their digital infrastructures. Fiber optic wire, made of pure, light-transmitting glass, is the Internet and telecommunication industry's standard-bearer, allowing the speed and synchronicity necessary for many businesses to operate at top capacity. It is thinner, lighter, and cheaper than traditional copper wire, and has a higher capacity for passing digital information. Whether uploading and downloading data or administering conference calls with full audio and video capability, the need for quick and reliable broadband connectivity has become a paramount corporate concern-and fiber optic cables are the solution of choice.