TeleChoice, Inc. January 20, 1998 -- TeleChoice has been inundated with calls from reporters all over the country looking for inside information on the NY Times story of the Big Three computer giants plus DSL. We've been released from our NDA to offer a bit of analysis on the effects of the announcement -- or more specifically, lack thereof!
On the whole, we see the added presence of Microsoft, Intel and Compaq
as a positive validation of DSL. Their goal of lessening confusion for
consumers in choosing DSL is noble, and pushing the industry to a open,
interoperable standard should help start momentum in that direction.
Specifics regarding that standard will be made public next week at
ComNet.
Plug and play - or splitterless DSL - is one plank of a platform that is
required for mass market DSL deployment. Equally important, it is going
to be crucial for the ILECs to develop spectrum management capabilities
and policies so that the product can be deployed with an understanding
and process around how it will impact other services/customers (and be
impacted by others). It will also be critical for service providers to
develop simple, applications oriented packages and marketing programs to
reach below the innovator tier of users.
Even though these heavyweights are now helping DSL, this does not
guarantee rapid market deployment or millions of lines by '99 in our
opinion. In fact, the success of the working group's efforts could prove
to be a mixed blessing for service providers. On the positive side,
distribution channel and installation headaches are eased for consumer
deployments. On the other hand, DSL in the hands of consumers by
Christmas will bring heated pressure to launch service. If they fall
behind in deployment, there could be a negative backlash against local
incumbent telcos. The final factor to consider is how cable modem
deployments will go this year.
We've included a copy of the NY Times story below. |
