More info on SBC's(Pacbell) xDSL offerings...
This came from:
pacbell.com
Here is the full text(FAQ)...
Does Pacific Bell require regulatory approval to offer DSL service?
Yes. Pacific Bell has received the go ahead from the California Public Utilities
Commission to begin offering FasTrak DSL service as part of a market trial.
Participation in the market trial is voluntary. Customers may discontinue the service at
any time and Pacific Bell may remove the service from market trial at any time. The
trial is scheduled to conclude not later than August 31, 1998. The terms and
conditions during the market trial may be different once FasTrak DSL service is
offered under tariff.
When will Pacific Bell file for a tariff for DSL service?
We expect to file for a tariff with the California Public Utilities Commission in 1998.
When and where will FasTrak DSL be available?
DSL is available in selected Central Offices in Danville, San Ramon, Walnut Creek,
San Jose, Burlingame, Los Altos, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Redwood City, Santa
Clara and Sunnyvale. Effective mid-April, DSL will be available in Pasadena and
North Hollywood.
Where will you be introducing FasTrak DSL in l998? 1999?
We will be expanding to neighboring communities in the Bay Area and extending the
market trial to selected areas in Southern California. We are currently evaluating
markets to determine areas of highest demand.
Why a limited roll-out?
Because FasTrak DSL technology is rapidly evolving, we're working with our
vendors to roll out the most innovative product available. We are using the initial
roll-out to make any minor adjustments necessary to provide the most effective
product.
What is xDSL or DSL?
DSL stands for high-speed Digital Subscriber Line. It provides a dedicated digital
circuit from your home to the telephone company's central office, using normal,
copper telephone line. DSL also provides a separate channel for voice phone
conversations, which means analog calls (voice, fax. etc.) can be carried at the same
time high-speed data is flowing across the line. xDSL is a generic term that includes
several variations:
ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line); 1.5 Mbps/64 Kbps-384 Kbps.
HDSL(High-bit-rate Digital Subscriber Line); 1.5 Mbps/1.5 Mbps.
SDSL (Single-line Digital Subscriber Line; 1.5 Mbps/1.5 Mbps.
VDSL (Very high-data-rate Digital Subscriber Line); 13 Mbps-52 Mbps/1.5 Mbps-
2.3 Mbps.
IDSL (ISDN Digital Subscriber Line); 128 Kbps/128 Kbps.
RDSL (Rate Adaptive Digital Subscriber Line)various speeds
What DSL configurations will you be offering?
We are currently offering two speed packages; an asymmetrical configuration with up
to 1.5 Mbps downstream and up to 384 Kbps upstream and a symmetrical service
of up to 384 Kbps.
What are the benefits of each?
A 384/384 service provides a great increase in speed for small business users and
others accessing the Internet and hosting a web site. It also provides increased speed
for many telecommuters downloading files from the corporate office and using the
world wide web. 1.5/384 access provides additional speed for small offices and
others with more intense usage requirements.
Are there any unique service limitations associated with DSL?
Yes. Customers must be within two to three miles of their central telephone switching
office to receive the bandwidth benefits of DSL.
So, what speeds are guaranteed?
The actual throughput rate that a customer obtains may be impacted by conditions on
the associated ISP network, the Internet, or their associated corporate LAN, among
other things. Pacific Bell will make every attempt to connect the customer's service at
the optioned speed. Also, it is important to note that DSL service is provided with a
best-effort (Unspecified Bit Rate) Quality of Service on the ATM backbone, and as
such, does not guarantee a specific constant throughput rate. With this distance
limitation doesn't this mean that not everyone who wants DSL service from Pacific
Bell will get it? In the beginning, yes. We believe that 70 - 75% of customers out of a
given central office will qualify for the service. Additionally, the evolution of network
technology eventually will allow us to reach the small percentage of customers who
are on the most distant ends of our local networks.
Will FasTrak DSL service include transmission of regular voice telephone
service with DSL?
Yes, FasTrak DSL service will share a customers' POTS line without affecting their
simultaneous use for placing and receiving voice calls.
Are industry standards in place for xDSL?
Yes. The industry standard is discrete multi-tone (DMT). This is the type of ADSL
technology being deployed by Pacific Bell.
What is the UAWG?
The Universal ADSL Working Group (UAWG), is composed of leading PC
industry, networking, and telecommunications companies, working together to
develop a set of contributions building on the present T1.413 standard intended to
create quick deployment and adoption of Universal ADSL. With the goal of
providing consumers with assurance that products and services will work together,
the UAWG's work will complement current equipment deployment of full-rate
ADSL and help to provide a seamless migration path from today's modems.
Is Pacific Bell a member of the UAWG?
Yes. Pacific Bell, through its parent corporation SBC Communications, Inc. is an
active member of the UAWG.
Will FasTrak DSL services replace FasTrak ISDN and analog modems?
No. There is some market overlap between ISDN and DSL services. However, we
firmly believe ISDN and DSL are complementary services in our continuum of
FasTrak family of offerings for telecommuters, home business operators and other
remote users and they will coexist for years to come.
Key points:
We are not singling out DSL service. This new service will be part of our FasTrak
product continuum, offering a higher bandwidth. These products will coexist for many
years to come. FasTrak DSL services are not replacements for FasTrak ISDN, but
offer optional higher speeds.
Why would customers want FasTrak ISDN or analog modems when they could
have FasTrak DSL services?
The introduction of FasTrak DSL service is an example of how Pacific Bell
continues to be the leader in offering a wide selection of state-of-the-art solutions.
Our FasTrak product line offers a continuum of services designed to meet the
different speed, application and price needs of our customers.
Our products offer services to satisfy the needs of a wide range of users and
applications from those using analog modems to those needing the higher
performance of FasTrak ISDN at 128 Kbps and FasTrak DSL at either 384 Kbps
or 1.5 Mbps.
Customer needs will govern the service they select. For example, as many customers
become more familiar with the Internet, they will continue to demand higher and
higher bandwidth. Pacific Bell and ISPs will have to step up to this trend by providing
networks capable of greater speeds.
Will business customers replace their existing FasTrak DS1 (T1) service
with FasTrak DSL?
We don't believe so, although there may be some overlap of the services. There are
clear technological differences: DS1 is 1.5 Mbps both ways, which is important to
many business applications. DS1 is a proven technology. While our technology tests
demonstrate that FasTrak DSL is very reliable, businesses tend to rely on
established technologies when business critical data is at stake. Many DS1
applications are related to voice service; DSL is for data only. Also, DSL requires
Pacific Bell FasTrak ATM Cell Relay Service access at the host site; DS1 is a
dedicated point-to-point service.
Why would customers want FasTrak Frame Relay or T-1 service when they
could have FasTrak DSL services?
The introduction of FasTrak DSL service is an example of how Pacific Bell
continues to be the leader in offering a wide selection of state-of-the-art solutions.
Our FasTrak product line offers a continuum of services designed to meet the
different speed, application and price needs of our customers.
Our products offer services to satisfy the needs of a wide range of users from those
using analog modems to those needing the higher performance of FasTrak services
running up top and beyond 1.544 Mbps and above.
Customer needs and applications will be the primary criteria for selecting a high
speed data service from the FasTrak group of high speed data offerings. Other
factors will no doubt include: DSL availability and the investments in hardware and
expertise that customers have already made to support their existing networks.
Key points:
FasTrak Frame Relay and T-1 Available virtually everywhere in the Pacific Bell
serving area. Excellent for Internet and corporate-computer-network access. Frame
Relay is an excellent choice for enterprise networking where many points must
interconnect with each other. FasTrak DSL Services Limited availability in 1997;
broader deployment in 1998-99. Simultaneous data over voice capability; no need
for a second line. Excellent for telecommuting; and Internet and
corporate-computer-network access where very high speeds are desirable and many
sites interconnect with one host. Requires ATM at the host location Limited to one
end point initially
Will DSL help relieve any of the network congestion we've been reading so
much about?
Yes. All of our customers will benefit--both heavy data users and voice customers.
Here's why: A growing phenomenon among today's Internet users is the user who
remains logged onto our switched voice network for many hours each day.
However, our switched network was designed to handle millions of relatively short,
voice-only phone calls. Too many online users logged on all day can cause the same
kind of network delays in handling calls that normally occur only on holidays, such as
Mother's Day, when hundreds of thousands of people all try to place calls at the
same time. We can eliminate this problem by moving high-usage, online customers to
a different part of our network for access to Internet service providers (ISPs).
What will Pacific Bell provide as part of its FasTrak DSL service?
Pacific Bell will provide a complete package, eventually including Internet access.
Pacific Bell will work with customers to coordinate ordering, connecting to their
corporate LAN or Internet service provider, as well as delivery and installation of
their FasTrak DSL line, DSL modem, and the "splitter" that separates voice from
data.
Will Alcatel be the only manufacturer of equipment for customers?
No. As part of our agreement with Alcatel, they will provide their technical
specifications to the vendor community. As a result, customers will eventually be able
to buy equipment from a variety of companies.
What are the basic requirements for a corporate telecommuter to have
FasTrak DSL service?
The corporate host needs an ATM connection to the Pacific Bell Fast Packet
Network. The corporate host also needs to order a business line for the participating
telecommuter. Arrangements will be made for the shipment/installation of the DSL
modem and splitter per the ordering instructions of the corporate host.
Will you have to address the same service delivery hurdles as FasTrak
ISDN?
No. Many of the hurdles ISDN had to navigate to become such a popular service,
don't exist for FasTrak DSL. For example, equipment-DSL and ISDN-is self
configuring. There are no "SPIDs" to set on DSL. DSL is not dependent on a
particular manufacturers' switches. With DSL, there's no need to install a second line
as a hedge against power outages since standard voice service operates
independently of DSL on the same line. DSL and ISDN still need to undergo the
same local loop qualification, which requires some research. However, we've
streamlined much of that process. |
