Zorro, My understanding is that in Rochester CAWS is primarily marketing its Internet services to mid sizes businesses and academic institutions. They are also selling, and operating, Intranet services between businesses and schools. My assumption is that if they are selling Intranet services to organizations then each location must be able to send and receive; ie, transmitters and receivers at each site.
I was told that home Internet services is being sold for approx. $39.99/month (may be less depending on competition) for unlimited access at 27-30 mbps. I am not sure how much the Intranet services are going for but I personally think this is the best direction for CAWS to go. Setting up ATM or Frame-Relay networks can be extremely expensive and fairly slow. CAWS can do the same thing much cheaper, alot faster, and with no infrastructure. (Realize their main competitor for such services in my area is Bell Atlantic and have found out the hard way that T-1 lines and frame-relay and/or ATM equipment adds up real fast.) I am still awaiting a proposal from them to set-up an Intranet network for my 177 school sites.
They have filed a request to the FCC to do 2-way in all markets; they got some type of waiver for Rochester as a trial only. Thus, the Conn. system is still awiating FCC permission. Apparently, their pending application is for blanket approval in all markets so they won't have to file ona case-by-case basis. Anyhow, this is my understanding of what they have explained to me.
As fas as ADSL, I really don't think this is a competitor to 120 plus channel video systems. Not nearly enough bandwidth unless you compress the heck out of the video and then the quality goes downhill. 2-way compressed video conferencing would work, but not 120 full-motion channels. I'm not knocking the technology for data or videoconferencing; just don't think it has the capacity for that many high quality video channels.
Also, my recollection was that the local phone company infrastructure, and switching center, must be geared up to accomodate this. |
