Eric, here's the Motorola/Lucent item I mentioned upstream about delivering IP voice to Comcast customers. Trials are set to commence in two months. See the last paragraph of the article below.
This causes me to stop and take note because I have to wonder if the voice service is independent of the cable modem provisions put in place to support ATHM, since I don't see any mention of ATHM in the release. On the other hand, and if this service is made available to users who are currently subscribing to ATHM, then where do the lines of delineation take place showing the separation of purviews, if they are truly independent of one another?
The latter would call for the MSO to "share" the data carrying capabilities of the last mile, and into the data end-point at the subscriber location, if this were the case. This I find interesting, and a possible furthering of the complications set forth in the equal access argument, no?
And then there is always the possibility that ATHM would assume management of the voice part, even if only as an agent of the MSO, since they would in all likelihood be better equipped to do this than the cable jocks. Any thoughts on the matter, or does someone have anything more substantive to offer than this on the matter of IP voice on Comcast facilities? I, for one, would like to hear more on the subject.
Enjoy, Frank Coluccio
ps - there's a good graphic of the new 5 Gbps backbone at
work.home.net
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Lucent Packages PathStar Server with Motorola Cable Modem for IP Voice
By By Brandy Pfalmer 6/18/99
In addition to cable service, cable operators are
offering a wide variety of voice services to their
customers, but now they will have the option to offer
those same services over Internet protocol (IP) with
Lucent Technologies Inc.'s (www.lucent.com)
CableConnect Solutions.
"[This product] allows you to use equipment you have
come to enjoy along with emergency services like 911
in a packet world," says Harrison Milef, director of
technical marketing for Lucent's Cable
Communications Group. "From the end-user
perspective [the transition] is transparent," he says,
explaining that an end user only needs a voice enabled
cable modem.
CableConnection Solutions packages Motorola Inc.'s
(www.motorola.com) Cable Router Cable Modem
Termination System with Lucent's PathStar Access
Server. The cable router sends cable modem traffic to
the server where it has two destination options. If the
server recognizes the number, meaning it is being
delivered to someone that is also using the service, it
goes directly over the IP network to that user.
"For example, if your neighbor [is using the service] it
will recognize the number as a part of the network
and route this as a packet [directly to your neighbor],"
Milef says.
If the destination number is someone "off-net," or
someone who is receiving calls via the public switched
telephone network (PSTN), it will route the call
through a data network to a voice gateway at the
edge of network. From there, the call will be
converted to a voice format for the circuit-switched
network and then transported to the end user.
Kenan System Corp. (www.kenan.com), a wholly
owned subsidiary of Lucent, is providing billing,
customer care and order management software with
the solution. Lucent also is incorporating support and
maintenance in the solution.
In August, Comcast Corp. (www.comcast.com) will
begin trials of the service. There are several other
trials planned for the end of summer and into the fall,
says Milef. |
