I suppose that you have to put yourself back in the time frame when these new networks were first conceived and later designed and optimized. Go back to 1994 and envisage putting 780 MHz to 1 GHz to use. Such spectrum was absolutely huge in comparison to the 250 to 400 MHz systems of the day that rode over coax, only, supporting (kinda) a handful of NTSCs. When they are forced to make a decision to give up a program channel in favor of increased throughput for data, they are very reluctant to do so. Things will change in this respect, I think, when they begin making greater use of their digital swath for video purposes, freeing up some spectrum for data. But only in the downstream direction, which still speaks to a gross asymmetrical imbalance characterized by a paltry upstream.
Getting back to the early stages of conceptualization of today's HFC, that fixed image of all of that bandwidth (and nothing to do with it, since many of the applications that could use it didn't exist back then, and still to this day are not perfected) must have stuck in the minds of many of those folks. And lets face it, their bread and butter still derives from program video, that which comes across during prime time, and the PPV prize fight or concert that goes for 50 dollars a pop.
Then again, who's kiddin' who? A GigaHertz shared amongst 2500 users is a far cry from a gigabit to every home. Yet, that's what we see now on the bleading edge, startups shooting for 100 Mb/s to a Gig, dedicated. Once they reach the 10 Gb/s stage, using, say, World Wide Packet's or Extreme's type of Gbit gear supported by wavelength division, do you suppose that those operators will look as reticent to advance their platforms as Alex from Cox in your message does his? Think about it.
It's in the cards that everyone will have their day, and that those same everyones will sooner or later see their day shot, succumbing to newer, faster, brighter more brilliant, better, and less expensive alternatives per unit of delivery.
Show me a model (dare I say paradigm?) that has made it through the ages, and I'll show you a model that has Divine Influence on its side. |
