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To: ftth who wrote (4884)	1/29/1999 12:22:00 AM
From: E. Davies	Respond to of 29970

More than you probably wanted to know. Actually just makes me want to know more! Since I've found someone who understands the insides of cable modems I'd really like your opinion on where we are going in the future. My top priority is in understanding how much the current breed of DOCSIS modems can be used to deal with the obvious impending problem of overloading of the local network. Examples of the kinds of things I'm trying to find out: Can you currently split the network in the frequency domain by assigning different channels to different modems? Or even better can the modems be dynamically assigned to the frequencies that are least used? I'm also concerned with the long term impact of the limited upstream capability. The current model of the internet as highly asymmetric may not hold as much truth when the power of broadband really takes hold. People will want to source video as well as receive it. Will HFC be able to find a way to add upstream capability or is that an inherent advantage to DSL that might cause problems for cable in the future? I also wonder from the point of view of investing in companies that make cable modems. Where do they go next? What features will DOCSIS 2.0 hold for example. Eric

To: ftth who wrote (4884)	1/29/1999 1:23:00 AM
From: Jay Lowe	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 29970

We had an interesting performance measurement today. A DSL line went into our office to replace the ISDN line. My partner ftp's a test file to our web server via ISDN and gets 158Kbytes/sec. He's impressed. Wow, he thinks, that's fast. Same file over the DSL line, 65Kbytes/sec. He sends me the results. This DSL line is a rip, he says, it's less than half as fast as ISDN. Er, says I, what's in that file you used to test with? That's one of your standard files full of zeroes, yes? (Silence) The ISDN line runs PPP which does data compression. The DSL line doesn't. Very interesting ... Anybody know the speed wall for PPP compression?

To: ftth who wrote (4884)	1/30/1999 1:33:00 PM
From: Hiram Walker	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 29970

Dave, I don't know if you read this article,but it is a really good one on upstream limitations,and what will be the next area of problems after the upgrades in the HFC plant. multichannel.com What happens if upstream channels get clogged up with too much stuff? Phone calls could sound not unlike cellular phones in bad coverage areas, and high-speed-data transmissions could experience delay-related glitches. There are currently two ways to deal with the need for additional bandwidth in the upstream path, Paff said: brute force and strategy. "Brute force is shrinking the size of the node; strategy is routers and enhanced intelligence in the IP network," Paff said, adding that the latter "will take at least a year to develop." Executives with TCI and Time Warner agreed that there is little on the drawing board these days to address the looming upstream-bandwidth crunch. But both MSOs said they could foresee solutions that tapped into cable-modem-headend systems, where most IP intelligence is currently anchored. "At this point, it's on the radar screen" only, Gemme said. Paff said the cable-broadband industry would soon be able to cash in on developments made by the alternative long-haul carrier segment. "Companies like Level 3 [Communications Inc.] and Qwest [Communications International Inc.] have a more urgent need for packet management," Paff noted. "Finding a way to intelligently route packets to manage bandwidth is a core issue facing that industry, and a lot of usable technology will come out of their needs." Hiram