10:10 AM -- Competition in the global IP market appears to be heating up, as operators such as Telia Carrier extend their reach into new territories, and subsea network operators beef up their networks. (See TIC Extends Into Asia and VSNL International Upgrades IP.)

Another sign of the healthy competition is the takeup of business intelligence tools and services that allow the IP transit firms to keep tabs on each other, in terms of network performance and customer traction, and monitor their own networks.

And when Renesys Corp. unveiled such an offering late last year, it seemed like a niche business that might attract a few of the players needing an extra edge over bigger rivals. (See Carriers Get Internet Savvy.)

But the current customer list is quite an eye-opener. While TIC was among the earlier carrier customers, it has now been joined by the likes of Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK), Deutsche Telekom AG (NYSE: DT), Level 3 Communications Inc. (NYSE: LVLT), Telecom Italia (TIM) , Telefónica SA (NYSE: TEF), and the international division of Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (VSNL) (NYSE: VSL), formerly Teleglobe. (See Renesys Aids Telecom Italia and VSNL Pays $239M for Teleglobe.)

"At first, we got some flak from some of the carriers about our statistics," Renesys COO Todd Underwood told Light Reading recently. "But then there are usually three stages of reaction –- anger, denial, and then a purchase order."

That's a recipe for telecom psychosis if ever I heard one.

— Ray Le Maistre, Espionage Editor, Light Reading