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CABLE MODEM DEPLOYMENT SEEN SURPASSING ADSL INSTALLATIONS
july 29 1998 17:36
Lingering hurdles to the roll out of asymmetrical digital
subscriber line (ADSL) modems look likely to put the cable
modem count in the lead in North America by 2003, the
consultants at Forward Concepts in Tempe, Ariz., report.
They expect ADSL modems to emerge as a business tool.
"The biggest problem is that a lot of copper wire in the
ground was deployed 30 or more years ago and is in bad
shape," explained Will Strauss, president of the consultancy.
"Coaxial cable is a much better medium. It can support higher
data speeds than copper."
Forward Concepts is predicting the number of cable modems
installed in North America will exceed ADSL modems 5-to-1
by 2003. The total number of cable modems deployed should be
9.6 million by 2003, while the total number of ADSL modems
in the field should be 1.86 million, the report says. The
predictions come from the firm's new report, Broadband in the
Local Loop-98, Cable Modem Madness vs. DSL Dementia.
Strauss told us most carriers currently are pricing ADSL at
a level that will not appeal to residential consumers.
Consequently, he says ADSL primarily will be relegated to a
business service, and not enjoy the large deployment numbers
residential services have.
Not everyone agrees. "What [Forward Concepts] may be seeing
is that some carriers have been slow to deploy ADSL," said
Mark Meudt, vice president of marketing at ADSL equipment
manufacturer Westell Technologies (WSTL) in Aurora, Ill.
"But Bell Atlantic [BEL] and GTE [GTE] and US West [USW] are
deploying ADSL rapidly. Bell Atlantic says it will offer
ADSL to 2 million subscribers in '98, and another 5 million
in 1999. By the shear numbers of people who will be offered
ADSL service before cable modem service. I would expect the
numbers to be higher for ADSL than cable modems." (Mark Meudt,
Westell Technologies, 630/375-4125; Will Strauss, Forward
Concepts, 602/968-3759.)
FOR MORE INFORMATION on this or any other story from
COMMUNICATIONS TODAY, July 29, 1998, please call Phillips
Business Information, Inc.'s Client Services Department at
800/777-5006.
-0- (PBI) Jul/29/ 98 17:36 |
