Under Construction.
| Access Methods US (Millions) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Dec. 2000 | 2005 |
| Cable Modem | 3.4 | 13.8 |
| DSL | 1.2 | 11.2 |
| ISDN | 300K | 500K |
| All Internet (Americans) | 90 | 160 |
| All Internet (US Households) | 25 | 160 |
General
Excite@Home, which is jointly owned by cable operators AT&T Broadband (formerly TCI)., Cox Communications Inc., Comcast Corp., Rogers Cablesystems Ltd., Shaw Communications Inc. and others, as well as venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caulfield & Byers, has built a high-speed data backbone and caching infrastructure to distribute broadband Internet services through affiliate cable systems.
The Road Runner Group, a joint venture between Time Warner Cable, MediaOne (now
owned by AT&T), Microsoft and Compaq, has developed a similar broadband Internet
service. Other companies, such as High Speed Access Corp. and SoftNet Systems are
offering turnkey Internet packages specifically designed for small cable system operators.
Source: Cable Datacomm News
See: Data Comm Interfaces
DSL
It is not uncommon for customers to buy a D.S.L. connection from an Internet service provider like XO or EarthLink, which contracts with a data-transmission company like NorthPoint or Covad Communications that uses the telephone network owned by a third party like Verizon or SBC. Customer orders must be passed up and down this chain, with the opportunity for delay and error at each link.As many as 90 percent of D.S.L. customers could soon be served by the incumbent telecommunications companies," said Dave Burstein, editor of D.S.L. Prime, an online newsletter about the D.S.L. industry.
See: DSL Reports - The unbiased guide to the best DSL!
Cable Modem
MSOs are using IP-centric policy-based routing solutions from Cisco Systems, rejecting the layer-2 tunneling technologies typically used to offer multi-ISP access in the DSL market, such as point-to-point protocol over Ethernet (PPPoE) and layer 2 tunneling protocol (LT2P)Although PPPoE and LT2P are field-proven solutions, cable operators see three major drawbacks. First, client software is typically required on the end-user's PC, forcing them to log in for each online session, and thus, eliminating the "always on" benefit of cable modem connections. Second, the use of tunnels adds overhead to packets, eating up valuable network capacity. Finally, the network provider cannot see the traffic contained in PPPoE or L2TP tunnels, preventing them from offering application-specific enhancements, such as guaranteeing bandwidth or latency for IP telephony or video services.
"With a tunneling solution, the cable operator loses the ability to look at the content that's being transported over his private network," said Benoit Legault, director of product management for ADC's Broadband Access and Transport division. "With policy-based routing, the network provides visibility into the TCP and UDP ports -- all that happens to establish TCP connections -- so the operator can add value. Source: Cable Datacomm News
At the end of the third quarter 2000 multiple system operator (MSO) AT&T led the industry with 888,000 installed cable modem customers, followed by Time Warner Cable with 719,000, Cox with 398,816, and Comcast, Rogers and Shaw each edging past 300,000.
Products
Router/Hub UGate-3200P & 3300 from Maxgate 4/5 MacWorld 5/5 PC Out of Business Etherfast from LinkSys PC prod. of yr. 2000 Netline from Proxim (they bought Farallon) 3.5/5 FriendlyNet from Asante 3.5/5 Best of show MacWorld NY 2001 REF: CableDatacomNewsGlossary
MSO - Multiple System Operator: A major cable TV organization that has franchises in multiple locations. cable CMTS - Cable modem termination system PPPoE - point-to-point protocol over Ethernet LT2P - layer 2 tunneling protocol DBS - direct broadcast satellite DSL - Digital Subscriber Line DSLAM - DSL Access Multiplexor FTTH - Fiber to the home HFC - hybrid fiber/coax
See also:
Internet Architecture
LookSmart
How Stuff Works
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