In a study that has dire implications for internet-dependent businesses (hey, that's me!), Nemertes Research has concluded that traffic on the internet will soon begin to experience slowdown analogous to that of our nation's freeways at rush hour.The comprehensive study, including projections based on historical use patterns and interviews with market specialists about projected usage, concluded that the choking point will come in the internet access infrastructure within the next few years, especially in North America. Once through that bottleneck, however, the study found that trunk capacity and switching technology will stand up to the growth in traffic.
Nemertes concludes that $42-$55 billion of investment would be needed to build out enough to handle the increased traffic, 50-70% more than is currently planned.
Two stories in the news point to the growing stress the communication age is putting on our infrastructure. 
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