--- title: Flat world date: "2005-04-04T12:00:00Z" categories: - links wp_id: 679 description: I explore Thomas Friedman's take on globalization, specifically how the fiber-optic overinvestment from the dot-com era turned cities like Bangalore into digital neighbors by slashing data transmission costs to nearly zero. keywords: [thomas friedman, globalization, fiber-optic cables, dot-com bubble, digital infrastructure, bangalore, telecommunications] --- [It's a flat world after all](http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/03/magazine/03DOMINANCE.html). Thomas Freidman on Globalization, Bangalore, ... > Second, the Netscape stock offering triggered the dot-com boom, which triggered the dot-com bubble, which triggered the massive overinvestment of billions of dollars in fiber-optic telecommunications cable. That overinvestment, by companies like Global Crossing, resulted in the willy-nilly creation of a global undersea-underground fiber network, which in turn drove down the cost of transmitting voices, data and images to practically zero, which in turn accidentally made Boston, Bangalore and Beijing next-door neighbors overnight. > > Yes, crazy overinvestment can be good. The overinvestment in railroads turned out to be a great boon for the American economy. 'But the railroad overinvestment was confined to your own country and so, too, were the benefits,' Singh said. In the case of the digital railroads, 'it was the foreigners who benefited.' India got a free ride. --- ## Comments - **Genmys** _4 Apr 2005 3:56 pm_: Some articles are star marked. Why? - **S Anand** _5 Apr 2005 3:03 am_: They are popular or interesting articles.