Computer and phone companies to speed Internet
Reuters Story - January 26, 1998 20:25
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WASHINGTON, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Computer heavyweights Compaq
, Intel and Microsoft joined with
leading telephone and networking companies on Monday to
announce an alliance to promote high-speed Internet links over
ordinary phone lines.
Telephone companies banded together and sought support from
the high-tech giants to ward off a competing scheme for faster
Internet connections relying on cable television wires.
In a proposal to the International Telecommunications
Union, which sets industry standards, the phone group will
offer a standard for connecting to the Internet using
"asymmetric digital subscriber line technology," or ADSL, it
said. Equipment makers plan to offer products based on the
standard.
That avoids a costly battle among the companies and ensures
that consumers will be able to connect using equipment from
different companies. An earlier phone company offering to speed
Internet connections, called "integrated services digital
network," or ISDN, was plagued by incompatible equipment and
installation difficulties.
Using ADSL, a consumer could receive information up 25
times faster than from the fastest ordinary modems currently on
the market, the group said. The speed of transmission would be
only two or three times faster than a modem going from the
consumer's computer back to the Internet.
Phone companies backing the new group included Ameritech
, Bell Atlantic , BellSouth , SBC
Communications and US West . Sprint , and
GTE also participated.
Network equipment makers participating included 3Com Corp
, Lucent Technologies and Texas Instruments
. |
