Hi Mike,
I'm doing this from memory so bear with me.
The answer to the question of how many telco subscribers can utilize xDSL is not nearly 100%. One limitation is that for all but one flavor of xDSL, the practical distance from the CO to any subscriber node is 18,000 feet. In one instance, a new technolology (DSL Lite <?>) is allowing for signalling up to 20,000 feet. In the US the number of subscribers who are at too great a distance from the CO is approximately 20%, in Europe, the excluded lines are on the order of 5% because of the smaller footprints of local networks on the Continent. I, for one, live 45,000 feet from the CO and I will never get DSL at my location until some new and wonderful DSLAM type solution can be deployed into the neighborhoods and thereby reduce the inherent attenuation on the UTP to an acceptable level.
At present, there are over 3,000 COs that are capable of servicing ADSL. This has grown from about 1,800 at the end of 1998.
DSL lite really won't compete with cable modems. But it's something the telcos or CLEC could deploy fairly quickly. As a student of Machiavelli, I would say that the lite stuff will serve a purpose in the FUD arena vis a vis cable modems.
Ciao, Ray |
