[ADSL]
robt --
This isn't TXN, but it's a big event for ADSL, overall.
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NEW YORK, Jan 29 (Reuters) - Solomon Trujillo, president
and chief executive officer of U S WEST Communications Group
Inc said Thursday his company was not interested in the analog
wireless telephone business its sister company, U S West Media
Group sold to AirTouch for $5.7 billion.
"I'm not interested in analog," Trujillo told a gathering
of the New York Financial Writers' Association.
"We're focusing on building out a complete digital network
and we're not interested in these assets," he added.
Instead, Trujillo said he the company is moving to have a
complete digital PCS wireless telephone network in the major
cities of the 14 states his company services by the end of 1998
and complete area coverage by the end of 1999.
The local phone service provider also unveiled a plan where
it will offer ultra-fast Internet and data transmission
services over existing copper wire, called Megabit Services, to
residential and business customers in 40 cities by June 1998.
Using its new ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line)
service, U S WEST says it will be able to offer residential and
business customers continuous Internet access at speeds of up
to 250 times faster than today's standard modems.
The service, a pay-as-you-go plan, has a monthly fee of
between $40 and $80 a month. That costs does not include
installation of the proper equipment and is in addition to
regular voice service.
For home service, using 256 kilabit access, which is 9-18
times faster than traditional modems, U S WEST charges $199 for
installation including the modem.
Trujillo showed a demonstration of the service at 400
kilabit speed, saying the service can already provide
full-motion video to home computers that has, "quality better
than the videos your rent from Blockbuster."
Trujillo explained that U S WEST is deploying its ADSL
service in full accordance with the consortium of hi-technology
companies, including Intel Corp , Compaq Computer Corp
, and Microsoft Corp , and several regional bell
operating companies.
ADSL uses the same copper phone lines already connected to
homes to transmit the data, saving the cost of installing a new
fiber optic communications network. Calling his service a
breakthrough, Trujillo said it "transforms copper into one of
the most precious metals in the next decade."
Still, U S WEST isn't relying solely on copper. It signed a
five year deal with Williams Cos earlier this month to
provide long-term transmission services.
Trujillo explained that since the company was the first to
sign on with natural-gas pipeline company, which is currently
building an 18,000 mile national fiber optic telecommunications
network, he was able to negotiate a deal that cost-wise "makes
it as if it was a virtual acquisitions of the fiber optic
network."
Trujillo promises the new ADSL service will be as simple as
plugging the modem, which is being manufactured by Austin,
Texas based NetSpeed Inc, into a phone jack and then running a
regular phone wire to the computer. The technology is said to
allow customers to make and receive phone calls over the same
line while simultaneously surfing the Internet.
U S WEST believes the Internet services 51 million people
daily and Trujillo believes that as it grows, data transmission
will make up 80 percent of the traffic handled by its networks.
"I expect data services to be worth $5 billion in five
years and $10 billion in ten.">>>> |
