VDSL Retraction
Hi Again,
Perhaps I spoke too soon. An earlier release I read refered to West's VDSL as 'variable' DSL. I no sooner posted my observations then I stumble on a more 'sensible' story (see below) replete with 'very-high-speed'---still not the ANSI 'bit-rate'. Apparently the media is getting manipulated by the telcos. There should be only '1' VDSL. Below is the article that still does not answer the question "from whence do the chips come? Sorry.
Steve
Media Daily
April 21, 1998
Vol. 6 - No. 78 Media Daily Archive
US West to Overbuild Phoenix,
US West said it will launch a new service in Phoenix to deliver digital video and high-speed Internet access, both over conventional telephone connections using very high speed digital subscriber line (VDSL) technology.
Separately, the telco said it has struck a 25-year deal with that city's National Basketball Association franchise, the Phoenix Suns, to exclusively carry the team's home games, to build a 130,000 sq. ft. addition onto the existing arena, and to provide all residential and business communications services for the team. Financial terms of the deal, which is being called a "multi-faceted sponsorship," were not disclosed.
Currently, the Suns home games are carried on a dedicated pay-per-view channel by that city's franchised cable TV operator, Cox Communications Corp. Not only is Cox the fifth largest U.S. cable operator, but its Phoenix system is the fourth largest in the nation, with over 565,000 subscribers. Cox also offers fast-Internet-access via its cable plant as part of its AtHome service. As of November, Cox had a total of 10,000 fast-data customers company-wide to US West's 13,000.
The last time these two met was a few years ago, in Omaha, when somehow DSL technology was thought impractical yet fiber-to-the-home and workstation-sized set-top boxes were not. US West took a drubbing in that matchup, never getting beyond 125 friendly subscribers before closing its Omaha (Cox subscribers: 151,345) video-on-demand test two years ago last month. But as the little girl in "Poltergeist" said while staring at a blank TV screen, "They're ba-a-ck."
And perhaps with a vengeance. In the interim, US West merged with Continental Cablevision (1996) and the resulting division, Media One (soon to be spun-off as part of the telco's trifurcation), is the third largest U.S. cable operator. One sign of the merger may be that the company no longer appears to be moving in telco time. Expect to see a phased VDSL rollout to its existing 400,000 telephone-line customer base in Phoenix beginning this summer, the company promised, and to other markets next year.
Among the features of the new digital video/CD-quality audio service, called US West TeleChoice: 120 channels, including impulse pay-per-view; onscreen integration with popular telephone features, such as caller ID and voice messaging; Internet/TV sales packages; and parental control features. The company also made reference to interacting Internet/television services, although no platform was mentioned along with such a feature. Neither was a price point for the service disclosed.
The company said it will use NextLevel/GI boxes for the service.
Ironically, a statement by the company released on Monday read as follows: "Previous deployments of such services by telecommunications companies required massive construction of all new fiber-optic networks that were both costly and time-prohibitive." And the only mention of Omaha? The company said it provides cable TV services there.
Earlier this year, US West said it would launch fast-Internet access service to 40 cities by mid-1998 using similar technology to this latest announcement.
Comment Media Daily Related Links
U S West cancels interactive TV trial in Omaha, (3/8/96)
AOL's DSL Trials Could Be Trying for Cable, (4/3/98)
Can Silicon Valley-Telco Internet Effort Nick Cable?, (1/26/98)
GTE Rolls Out ADSL in Big Way, (4/14/98)
Cox Notches 10,000 Data Customers, (11/14/97)
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