chris ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) wrote on 7/17/04 10:02 PM -> >Verizon is trying to drop the last mile of copper. They are trying to get >"fiber to the curb" as they put it. They want fiber to every house >instead of copper. Why? Because they know that free phone service is >right around the corner with VOIP. By getting fiber to the house, they >will be able to stay ahead of the curve by offering additional services. >They will be able to give you the flat rate unlimited, anywhere in the US >and Canada, and dirt cheap for the rest of the world phone service >(likely a VOIP package), in addition to multi-megabit internet service >AND (dun dun dun) what they think is the next market to get into... TV >service and Video On Demand.
Right. It was called "Fiber To The Curb" back when they first planned it, but DSL showed up as a way to get increased bandwidth out of the existing copper runs, and since it was so much faster to deploy, they went with DSL right away. The new term is "Fiber To The Premise", and they are deploying it first in Texas in a new community, where there will be no copper 'phone cables at all. The downside is that if the power goes out at your office/home/whatever, you'll lose service, unlike current telephone service (unless you have only cordless 'phones). I think they're providing a UPS unit with the fiber equipment for relatively short-term power loss, but when that runs down you'll have to provide power yourself somehow or lose service. Apparently one of the central offices targeted for a subsequent early wave of deployments on the east coast serves my location :-) Verizon is actually working on VoIP right now. They are targeting businesses first, but once they have the systems updated and their employees trained and it's rock-solid enough for mass deployment, I think that customers with enough bandwidth (and Verizon is still working on DSL technologies) will be able to get it. >And that is something I am DROOLING over since I lost my Dish Network and >was forced back into the arms of the customer hostile, over priced >Cablevision. Verizon doing TV will give CV some serious competition, >which means prices will come down, services will go up, and channel >selection will increase. Yup. But getting into video content is a big step. They'll probably need to partner with someone else to provide video content expertise. ====================================================================== Power Macintosh 8500 w/ 500 MHz G3, 352 MB RAM Power Macintosh 7200 Power Macintosh 7100 w/ 80 MHz 601, 72 MB RAM Quadra 800 w/ 33 MHz 68040, 40 MB RAM Performa 600 w/ Daystar Turbo '040, 24 MB RAM Macintosh IIci w/ 25 MHz 68030, 8 MB RAM PowerBook 165 w/ 33 MHz 68030, 8 MB RAM ====================================================================== ___________________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe send a mail message with a SUBJECT line of "unsubscribe" to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> or <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
