TELECOM@Usc-Eclb.ARPA (03/25/83)
TELECOM AM Digest Thursday, 24 March 1983 Volume 3 : Issue 17
Today's Topics:
Digital Service Into The Home
Home Digital Data Services
KP FWD And RING FWD, Anyone?
Phone Company Line Utilization : Voice VS. Data
Why Go Measured? - Fewer Interruptions
DEMON Dialer(r)
Slow Digital Connection pricing
Query Re Modem-Less Data Communication
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 16 Mar 83 23:07:10 PST (Wed)
From: sun!gnu (John Gilmore)
Full-Name: John Gilmore
Subject: Digital service into the home
I recently got a report of hearings held by the Senate Committee on
Commerce, Science and Transportation. The chairman, Bob Packwood of
Oregon, wants to extend First Amendment protection to electronic
media, including broadcast TV, cable, radio, as well as e.g.
Washington Post on Teletext. Part of the argument is that spectrum
space is not the scarce resource it was originally thought to be. In
that vein the committee heard testimony from various people, one of
whom was Dr. Solomon J. Buchsbaum, executive VP of Bell Labs. Two
paragraphs of his testominy relate to digital phone connections to
homes:
"Although services such as this [digital voice, fax, video,
etc -- JCG] are not yet widely available, the technology to provide
them exists. Their deployment awaits market opportunities and the
availability of capital.
"In 1970, about 40 million of the 60 million lines in the Bell
System could have supported 56 kilobits/second digital capability,
and, in 1980, 50 million lines. By 1990, it is expected that as many
as 110 million of an expected 130 million lines will have access to 56
or 64 kilobits/second capability."
Oops, there's one earlier relevant paragraph:
"Today's integrated circuit technology is making it economical
to place electronics in the local loop -- the pair of wires connecting
the telephone subscriber to the telephone company's switching center.
The introduction of electronics leads to exciting new capabilities
through the use of digital carrier facilities, similar to T-carrier,
in the loop. Originally, digital systems were used to reduce the
number of physical wire pairs required to serve several customers; now
they also provide the means to bring digital transmission directly to
the customer premises."
You, too, can get this report by writing to: Senate Committee on
Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Washington DC 20510 and asking
for the hearings on "Electronic Media and the First Amendment".
There's a lot of interesting reading in there.
John Gilmore, Sun Microsystems
------------------------------
Date: Thu Mar 17 1983 22:19:00-PST
From: Lauren Weinstein <vortex!lauren@lbl-csam>
Return-Path: <vortex!lauren@LBL-CSAM.ARPA>
Subject: home digital data services
Just to clarify the issue -- there are certainly a few home digital
data "testbeds" that will be appearing in the near future. However, I
don't believe that any of these are being realistically priced, and so
I'll stand by my statement that when data services become generally
available, they will be priced for businesses with substantial data
needs, not the home user.
Regardless of what the companies may claim, testbed services are
almost never priced in a realistic manner and are usually heavily
subsidized by the company conducting the "tests".
---
Regarding radio techniques: there are a number of companies planning
to offer radio-based data services, mostly using MDS and other
microwave technologies. All of the plans that I have seen to date are
oriented toward businesses with lotsa bucks.
***Error on net connection***
{TELECOM@Usc-Eclb.ARPA (03/25/83)
TELECOM AM Digest Thursday, 24 March 1983 Volume 3 : Issue 17
Today's Topics:
Digital Service Into The Home
Home Digital Data Services
KP FWD And RING FWD, Anyone?
Phone Company Line Utilization : Voice VS. Data
Why Go Measured? - Fewer Interruptions
DEMON Dialer(r)
Slow Digital Connection pricing
Query Re Modem-Less Data Communication
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 16 Mar 83 23:07:10 PST (Wed)
From: sun!gnu (John Gilmore)
Full-Name: John Gilmore
Subject: Digital service into the home
I recently got a report of hearings held by the Senate Committee on
Commerce, Science and Transportation. The chairman, Bob Packwood of
Oregon, wants to extend First Amendment protection to electronic
media, including broadcast TV, cable, radio, as well as e.g.
Washington Post on Teletext. Part of the argument is that spectrum
space is not the scarce resource it was originally thought to be. In
that vein the committee heard testimony from various people, one of
whom was Dr. Solomon J. Buchsbaum, executive VP of Bell Labs. Two
paragraphs of his testominy relate to digital phone connections to
homes:
"Although services such as this [digital voice, fax, video,
etc -- JCG] are not yet widely available, the technology to provide
them exists. Their deployment awaits market opportunities and the
availability of capital.
"In 1970, about 40 million of the 60 million lines in the Bell
System could have supported 56 kilobits/second digital capability,
and, in 1980, 50 million lines. By 1990, it is expected that as many
as 110 million of an expected 130 million lines will have access to 56
or 64 kilobits/second capability."
Oops, there's one earlier relevant paragraph:
"Today's integrated circuit technology is making it economical
to place electronics in the local loop -- the pair of wires connecting
the telephone subscriber to the telephone company's switching center.
The introduction of electronics leads to exciting new capabilities
through the use of digital carrier facilities, similar to T-carrier,
in the loop. Originally, digital systems were used to reduce the
number of physical wire pairs required to serve several customers; now
they also provide the means to bring digital transmission directly to
the customer premises."
You, too, can get this report by writing to: Senate Committee on
Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Washington DC 20510 and asking
for the hearings on "Electronic Media and the First Amendment".
There's a lot of interesting reading in there.
John Gilmore, Sun Microsystems
------------------------------
Date: Thu Mar 17 1983 22:19:00-PST
From: Lauren Weinstein <vortex!lauren@lbl-csam>
Return-Path: <vortex!lauren@LBL-CSAM.ARPA>
Subject: home digital data services
Just to clarify the issue -- there are certainly a few home digital
data "testbeds" that will be appearing in the near future. However, I
don't believe that any of these are being realistically priced, and so
I'll stand by my statement that when data services become generally
available, they will be priced for businesses with substantial data
needs, not the home user.
Regardless of what the companies may claim, testbed services are
almost never priced in a realistic manner and are usually heavily
subsidized by the company conducting the "tests".
---
Regarding radio techniques: there are a number of companies planning
to offer radio-based data services, mostly using MDS and other
microwave technologies. All of the plans that I have seen to date are
oriented toward businesses with lotsa bucks.
There isn't one hell of alot of spectrum left for services that could
be implemented with relatively inexpensive equipment. Ham radio
packet radio is fine for non-commercial use -- but this does NOT
include calling into your work computer for a couple of hours of
programming, and there are other restrictions as well. Cellular radio
techniques present some possibilities, but I don't think the current
implementations being planned include general purpose data services of
the sort we'd probably desire.
--Lauren--
------------------------------
Date: 18 Mar 83 19:06:53 PST (Fri)
From: D.jlapsley@Berkeley
Subject: KP FWD and RING FWD, anyone?
I was looking at the keyshelf (keyboard) layout of the 100B TSPS
console in the book "Engineering and Operations in the Bell System,"
and I noticed some interesting keys. There is a KP FWD and KP BACK
key, which corresponds to keypulse forward and back, respectively.
However, there are also some keys labeled RING FWD and RING BACK.
What is the difference between KP FWD and RING FWD? It is my
understanding that RING BACK will cause you phone to ring if it is
pressed and you are "in" the operator's position. More than that, if
you pick up the phone while it is ringing, you hear a 90V ringing
signal across the line. Very strange. Any ideas?
Phil Lapsley
(d.jlapsley@Berkeley)
------------------------------
Date: 20 March 1983 16:11 EST
From: Doug Humphrey <DIGEX @ MIT-AI>
Subject: Phone Company line utilization : Voice VS. Data
I was reading something a while ago re: the way that the Telephone co.
multiplexes voice. When using a Bell 103 style modem, you do not use
any more channel space than a voice conversation does (as implied).
Bell operating companies (them that were) do not multiplex anything!!!
All local exchanges are direct cut-through be they ESS or crunch-bar.
[Don't forget Step-By-Step! --JSol] AT&T long lines does not stat mux
the voice either, they use freq. division multiplexing (on analog
lines yet!). The only digital multiplexing is done on tT1/T1c/T2/T3
channel banks, which are usually used for span lines. And these are
straight TDM, not statistical mux'ed.
For long distance services such as MCI and SPRINT, the gentleman is
correct, as they commonly use STATISTICALY MUX'ED HALFDUPLEX. This is
because they don't have the channel space of Long Lines, and they
don't even claim to be able to carry voice with any degree of clarity.
As for digital local transmission, this is a great idea, but it has no
plot. Most local phone companies (and all Bell companies) do not have
digital switches, so they have to install special equipment for
digital (and you need a DSU (digital service unit) at the subscriber
end for interface). As an example, a digital line (DDS) from Rosslyn,
Va. to Rockville, Md (12 air miles) follows this path: Subscriber to
local central office 4 wire (3 wire miles) central office to
Arlington, Va. service center (4 wire miles) Service center to Wash,
D.C. data hub (6 wire miles) Wash. D.C. data hub to Maryland data hub
(10 wire miles) Maryland data hub to Rockville central office (4 wire
miles) Rockville central office to subscriber (4 wire miles).
All of these lines are 4 wire because digital signals cannot go two
ways on one pair at the same time (unlike analog signals). this line
travels 31 wire miles for 12 air miles, and costs $437.68 per month
plus a gross^ ammount for installation. An equivalent private analog
line (3002 type circuit c2 conditioning) is only $240 per month and 24
wire miles, and both types of lines will support 9600 bps data.
I am sorry for the long message, but I thought that this needed
clarification.
Carl Zwanzig [CZWANZIG @ DIGEX] via DIGEX @ MIT-DMS
Fred Bauer TROLL @ MIT-ML
Doug Humphrey DIGEX @ MIT-DMS
------------------------------
Date: 20 Mar 1983 at 1354-PST (Sunday)
From: tekmdp!laurir.Tektronix@Rand-Relay
Subject: Re: TELECOM Digest V3 #6
Why the concern about "volunteer community service groups"? If a
measured rate system will decrease the number of times my dinner is
interrupted because someone wants to sell me light bulbs, I'm all for
it!
-- Andrew Klossner (laurir.tektronix@rand-relay)
------------------------------
Date: 22 Mar 1983 1118-PST
From: Ian H. Merritt <MERRITT@USC-ISIB>
Subject: DEMON Dialer(r)
I just received the latest North Supply catalog update, and it
contained a description of the DEMON Dialer. Since somebody already
printed such a description, I won't type in the whole thing. Knowing
even a little about telephone systems and the way they operate, many
of us suspected that there was something they weren't telling us about
this device. On the one hand, they say it installs at any modular
jack position, and on the other, that it will operate with all the
phones in the house.
This dialer features easy modular installations. @i{If dialer
control of all phones in a home or office is desired, series
installation is required.}
That is a quote from the north catalog description. This would
indicate to me that the product may actually work; not be a crock, but
I suspect it will do something like the following:
I pick up the phone and hear a C/O dialtone. I dial a DEMON Dialer
speed dialing code. The dialer seizes the line from me, hangs it up,
and redials the number connecting me when it is done. Not too bad,
but perhaps a little slow. I still like my ESS-provided speed
calling.
The device is made by ZOOM Telephonics, North Catalog numbers:
S-450496......................Model 93H DEMON Dialer, Tone
S-450495.......Model 176T DEMON Dialer W/Series Jack, Tone
I don't have their prices yet.
<>IHM<>
------------------------------
Date: 23 March 1983 04:00 est
From: Frankston.SoftArts at MIT-MULTICS
Subject: Re: slow digital connection pricing
Reply-To: Frankston at MIT-MULTICS (Bob Frankston)
Videotex is the most likely motivating force for Telco to provide
digital connections. But then it might instead by the local cable
company. The question is whether these services will be so tuned for
the videotex offering that they will be useless otherwise. It is also
unclear whether Videotex is viable given that most service I have read
about a so meager compared to what is already available in the
computers sold at toy stores.
------------------------------
Date: 23 Mar 83 07:47:33 PST (Wed)
From: npois!npoiv!harpo!ihps3!ihuxx!robert1@Berkeley
Subject: Query re Modem-less data comm
Postmark: Robert.L.Duncan-55242 -ih6c520
Postdate: Wed Mar 23 09:30:40 1983
Does anyone know of products/techniques providing modemless
communication from the terminal interface? I seem to recall a company
that provides a system to do this, but I can't recall the
name/technique. Perhaps I saw it mentioned in bell.compete?
Please send guesses/pointers to:
Robert Duncan
ihuxx!robert1
Bell Labs, Naperville IL
Winners will be announced by net mail.
------------------------------
End of TELECOM Digest
**********************
-------