I'm really curious how popular USRX's X2 technology really is right now. You know 90% of the people out there don't realize it does them no good unless their ISP is also using it, so they may be selling a lot of "56k" modems to people with 28.8k ISPs.
Problem with waiting for the CCITT to hammer out a standard is they're too darned slow about it. Remember when the modem manufacturers got impatient about v.34? v.FC was available for several months because the users wanted the speed *now*, not when CCITT got around to ratifying it.
What're the chances the Cyclone would be able to support multiple standards concurrently? If we end up with a fragmented market (half of the users with Rockwell, the other half with X2), it'd be nice if ISPs could still get their equipment from one source: FTEL. Even if it can only support one standard at a time (likely), I suppose there's no reason an ISP couldn't still get both flavors from FTEL, and make them available at different phone numbers. And if one standard emerges a clear winner, I would hope that to change, an ISP would only have to replace a relatively inexpensive daughtercard. Looks like the best thing for me to do right now is ask Helen if a brag sheet is available.
I really hope X2 goes the way of HST, Microchannel, and the CompuCom.
Regarding 56k being too fast for analog lines, I've been around long enough to remember hearing "2,400 bits per second is the theoretical maximum that can be achieved over a pair of analog copper lines." The industry was amazed when USRX seemingly performed a miracle by introducing HST.
It seems that 28.8k, or at least the way it's done, seems to be crowding a limit. I don't consistently get 28.8k connections (26.4k is more common), and am running on data-conditioned lines, and would expect AT&T to be doing the same. Can't speak for the switching stations, though. That doesn't make me doubt the viability of 56k (or is it really 57.6k? ) though. Frank believes in it, and apparently so do USRX and Rockwell. I do see it as the highest speed anyone's going to bother with, though. ISDN is becoming more and more viable all the time. |
