Gordie, throughout all of the grandstanding and celebrating that went on during the press conferences during both courtships of USW last year, I recall Q only casually mentioning VDSL supporting video. They acknowledged it and mentioned it in their press conferences, but as far as I can recall they didn't highlight it beyond its true significance as a future at the time.
Now... GBLX, on the other hand... especially Annunziata during the original press conferences on Wall Street on the day of the initial announcement, went on about VDSL ad nauseam, until I almost felt a sense of vicarious embarrassment over it.
In any event, the delivery of digital video -whether it's over VDSL lines or fiber or ground wire- requires more than just a line type. As you know, the architecture required to support a complete cable TV service with value-added voice and data is more elaborate than what can be achieved by a dslam and a couple of modems, alone.
There is the digital head end video switch, program scheduling, the database, the gui, ad insertion, and so on. Is USW set up for this at this time in the digital realm?
If someone knows how they intend to support this -- and I'm not referring to some breadboard level trial or pilot setup-- I'd appreciate knowing what platform they will be using, even in generic terms. In other words, will they be delivering MPEG over ATM? over IP? something else?
"It would not surprise me if they did, as it almost seems too easy to run VDSL over FTTC backhauled over the Qwest backbone to the CyberCenter."
It would seem to make sense, but keep in mind that there are other requirements besides video that need to be satisfied over those vdsl lines. And then there is the piggybacking (line sharing, equal access?) regulations allowing CLECs to share those lines, too. Yes, despite these nuisances (to Q, in any event) what you say is plausible. But will they do it? |
