Fat pipes: Was plumbing ever this important?

Probably, but here's the pitch anyway...

In silicon.com's hometown of London we may from time to time lament the condition of sewers and water pipes under our feet but imagine the era when they were built. Imagine a Victorian city transformed and at the vanguard of invention and industry.

It isn't a big jump for us to say networks of any sort - and we include utilities such as water and electricity in that - provide enormous benefits to their users. That's why we've turned to an old and almost unfashionable subject for our latest Hot Topic report.

Networking - and particularly high-speed networking these days - is at the heart of ebusiness. Drilling down, and with our business hats firmly on, within our High-Speed Networking report over the next few weeks we'll be concentrating on the progress of Gigabit Ethernet.

silicon.com senior reporter Heather McLean will look at whether the technology has definitely matured, while veteran networking scribe and silicon.com editor-in-chief Jon Bernstein considers Gigabit Ethernet's roll in the MAN (metropolitan area network).

But within this context we're also introducing a new feature, the Technologies That Time Forgot, and providing one of our handy Cheat Sheets all about 10 Gigabit Ethernet.

And - plug almost over - don't forget our video-based Big Question all about bandwidth demand and supply, and an upcoming Behind the Headlines all about video over corporate networks - a subject close to our hearts.

Are fat pipes and technologies such as Gigabit Ethernet worth the effort? We think you can guess our stance. Ethernet and LANs in general changed the way we work. Now stick with us for consideration of what may be next.