Frank, Re: IPRS service arrangements ...
< Just for my own edification here, Tim, how would IPRS
(IP [re]Routing Service) come into play with residential
customers using different ISPs? I think that this would
require that all of the non-AOL ISPs affected would need to
be subscribing to the same service from BLS. I don't view
that as likely, but one never knows. What do you think? >
IPRS, sold to an ISP, is as suitable for residential dial-up customers as for business dial-up. Calls to the ISP directory number are simply directed to the IPRS serving arrangement in the ILEC central office rather than delivered normally. With IPRS-2, each ISP has a virtually separate arrangement from a traffic management and port access standpoint. An ISP can continue with their many-business-line present modem pool arrangement with a data pipe out the back door, or they could opt for IPRS -- it's a customer decision, and certainly multiple ISPs could elect to go with IPRS, each with an independently sized solution.
The realities seem to be that ISPs have a big investment in their modem pools, and there is nothing beyond V.90 on the horizon that would trigger a dial-up modem pool upgrade. If an ISP were facing a big investment in a modem pool upgrade, IPRS looks better.
You are correct that there is a reciprocal compensation issue that IPRS did effect -- at least until the reciprocal compensation agreements expire and are rewritten in accordance with the FCC finding that calls to ISPs traffic is interstate. The motivation for the creation of the IPRS serving arrangement, however, I believe had more to do with a hunt for workable, low capital approaches that would deload as much data traffic as possible off the voice switches. IPRS works at least at the terminating switch end to remove long holding time internet connection traffic from the PSTN. However, by deftly [!] eliminating the benefit of the enhanced service exemption from access charges for the ISPs, and torpedoing the ISP/CLEC argument for reciprocal compensation payments, it has made itself a bit of a skunk at the garden party. The product manager is probably not taking his wife to Hawaii this year thanks to his sales award. |
