Higher-speed data communication comes with a price
Question: What are the differences among all the new high-speed data communication technologies? Can you explain ADSL, cable modems, and ISDN, please? –Ford
Answer: Modem manufacturers have been telling us for years that, sooner or later, the physics of conventional phone lines will limit any further speed increments.
That day may have arrived. The 56K modem technologies are the latest techno-magic trick to add modem speed at home, but they’re a bit of a hack, a term used by the computer community to describe a spit-and-string work-around.
Thankfully, the test-tube set has been busily at work creating high-speed technologies for home use. The three most prominent are ISDN, ADSL, and cable modems.
Here’s a round-up.
ISDN:
Integrated Services Digital Network has been around for about 10 years although, for most of that decade, it’s been out of reach for home users. In recent years, it’s become more affordable.
An entry-level ISDN service has three channels. The first two (called “B” channels) can be used for voice or data. A third “D” channel is used for network signaling. Speeds run 64 Kbps per “B” channel.
Dial-up ISDN is the cheapest version of ISDN technology. To use it, you have to place a call to an ISDN number provided by your Internet Service Provider (ISP). It costs upwards of $100 CDN per month. That includes the line charge and the ISP fee. In some cases, there’s also an hourly fee for business hours usage. It also requires a $300 CDN to $400 CDN ISDN modem.
The other ISDN configuration uses a dedicated line that maintains a live connection to the Internet all the time. It costs $300 and up, depending on how much bandwidth you want. You will need an ISDN router for the dedicated service.
A connection to an Internet Service Provider hikes that price up to about $100 per month. A $100 installation fee is also applicable.
“ISDN is really not that much faster (than conventional modems) and is much more expensive,” said Kirk Reid of Calgary’s MicroAge Technical Services. “Expect to pay $150 per month for a typical home power user.”
Cable Modems:
Once upon a time, your cable company brought only a television signal into your home. Now, they’re delivering the Internet too. Cable modems can give you download speeds of 10 Megabits per second. That’s 350 times faster than a 28.8Kbps modem. The problem is you’ll have to share that bandwidth with your cable-modem-subscribing neighbors. Not all neighborhoods in all Canadian cities have access to this technology, but by mid-1998 most urban dwellers who wanted it were able to get it.
Videotron Communications’ web page says consumers can expect download speeds that are more than 50 times as fast as a 28.8 modem. That’s about as fast as a T1 connection that medium- to large-sized companies install.
The technology isn’t ideal for serving high-traffic web pages. Typically, outbound speeds are below 800 Kbps. Videotron, for example, allows subscribers to serve non-commercial web pages from home, but imposes some strict regulations.
Monthly charges float around the $50- to $60-per-month range. A $50 network card must also be installed and a cable modem ($500-$700) is required. The modems can be rented as part of the $50 per month package from the cable company. A $100 installation fee typically applies, but some cable companies are offering first-time connection specials.
ADSL:
An Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line is the new technology on the block offered by the phone company.
“Basically, it is just a piece of copper wire for which you pay the phone company,” said Reid. “It connects a black box at your house to one at the phone company.”
Speeds can top 2 Mbps during downloads and 500 Kbps for uploads. That’s just the beginning. In the future it’s expected to make downstream speeds of 9 Mbps possible.
ADSL packages will likely cost the same as cable modem service with a similar up-front installation fee.
