On Top of the Net: # 1

Jumping on the Broadband Bandwagon
It's not the speed, stupid, it's the always-on connectivity.

Michael Dillon
principal of MEMRA Communications Inc

"Faster, faster, until the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death."—Hunter S. Thompson

For years now, each new level of access technology has been sold to consumers based on speed. From blazing fast 33.6kbps modems to screaming cable connections, the metaphors belie the facts. Sometimes you will get a modest speed increase by increasing the bandwidth of your Internet access connection. But words like "blazing" and "screaming" promise something that simply cannot be delivered.

While over the past few years the independent ISP industry has made its mark as providers of top-notch service, effectively solving the complex problems of running a PPP TCP/IP connection over a sea of semi-compatible dialup modems, there is now a sea change in the air. New technologies are moving out which will slowly but surely relegate analog modems to the trash bins.

All of these new technologies share one thing in common. Nope, not speed. Cable modems, xDSL, wireless, and fiber-to-the-home are always-on technologies that provide a 7-by-24 connection to the Internet. The key thing here is that there is no login procedure required. If you leave your computer on all day, then the Internet is available at your fingertips when you want it.

While cable modems, xDSL, and wireless have received a lot of media attention recently the fiber option is not as prominent. There is a group in Canada that is pushing for a fiber-to-the-home deployment that would see fiber to every Canadian home by 2005. In Malaysia, the brand new capital city of Putrajaya will have fiber to every building.

It still isn't clear that any one of these technologies will dominate. What is most likely to happen is that in individual cities or regions, one or the other of these technologies will outshine the others. Where the copper infrastructure is good, then xDSL will be the prime choice. In some cities, the topology will make it easy to do wireless. In other areas, cable or fiber will win out.

The important thing for ISPs is to examine all of these options, figure out which ones are feasible in your area, alone or with a partner, and then deploy. If local LECs are deploying DSL then partner with them to offer DSL to your customers. If your local cableco has a good two-way infrastructure then get involved at the PUC to open up the cable system to competition. Or else, partner with investors to build an alternate cable service supplying both TV and Internet. Talk to building contractors about installing fiber in their new housing developments.

Don't fall into the trap of assuming that only speed demons will want high-bandwidth Internet connectivity. Many people will buy it instead of a second phone line. Others will appreciate the simplicity of turning on their computer and having information at their fingertips with no modem hassles. Gamers will like it because of the low latency when playing Quake with their real-life friends. Jitter-free video conferencing within the city will attract others. Always-on Internet is the way the Internet was meant to be.

End

[ May 20, 1999]