Keeping Critical Infrastructure Up and Running
In the demanding world of telecommunications and networking, reliability is everything. For service providers of Internet, data, and phone service, quality is measured by two main ideas: availability and network uptime.
- Availability is the percentage of time the service is up and running and ready for you to use.
- Network uptime is the specific number that tells you this percentage over a certain period of time.
While no network can promise 100% uptime, performance is judged by how close it gets to being perfect. A critical difference hides in the decimal points: the gap between a seemingly impressive 99% and the industry's 99.999% gold standard is far greater than it looks on paper.
Five Nines: The Gold Standard (99.999%)
A top-tier carrier aims for what's called "five nines" reliability, which is 99.999%. This high network availability is also defined as mission critical.
- What this means: In an entire year, the service can be down for no more than about five minutes total.
- Why it matters: This is the highest level of service you can get. It ensures that when you really need your Internet or phone, during an emergency, it's almost certain to be working. Those essential services like emergency communications (such as 911 calls) and critical healthcare data transfers are almost certain to be working when they are most needed.
- 💡 Did You Know: ICN's core network has maintained 100% stable and reliable uptime since 2022.
Commercial Grade: The Basic Standard (99%)
Most general commercial services aim for a more 99% reliability.
- What this means: While 99% sounds great, that 1% of potential downtime is huge over a year. It translates to about 87.5 hours (or over three and a half full days) of potential outages.
- The huge difference: Going from 99% to 99.999% dramatically cuts the potential downtime from over 3.65 days a year to just 5 minutes a year.
Availability Downtime per Year
| Availability | Downtime per Year |
|---|---|
| 99.999% (Five Nines) | 5 minutes |
| 99% (Commercial Grade) | 87.5 hours (3.65 days) |
Why Extra Reliability Matters
Network downtime can happen for many reasons, especially during natural disasters like floods or tornadoes.
- The Need for Backup: These are the times when a reliable (and redundant) network is absolutely critical.
- Battery Power: To keep network operations running when the main power is out, providers use battery backups. While these batteries may be expensive, they are essential for keeping critical infrastructure and people connected during an emergency.
The takeaway is clear: in the world of connectivity, your uptime guarantee is the backbone of your operations. Those crucial extra decimals are the definitive line between a minor network hiccup and hours of no communication services. ICN's commitment to gold-standard reliability of 99.999% ensures that critical services remain available to Iowans when they are needed most.
This article is part of ICN's awareness messaging during November's Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience month.