The Future of Digital Subscriber Line Technology: Business Drivers, Strategies, and Markets

Overview

As the Internet market continues to explode, consumer and business demand for greater bandwidth and faster connection speeds has led to several technological approaches. Prominent among them are digital subscriber line (DSL) technologies, which are being installed at an unprecedented rate. Projections as high as 6 million lines installed—generating $5.5 billion—by 2002 exist for the U.S. DSL market alone. To meet such projections, it is imperative that service providers stay abreast of recent developments.

Addressing one of the most important topics to the telecom and information industries today, The Future of DSL provides an overview of DSL deployment and explores the forces driving the rapid growth of broadband and high-speed access in homes and businesses.

The report provides an examination of regulatory constraints, technology hurdles, market drivers, current trials and installations, and competing technologies, as it offers in-depth discussion about the future of DSL. This comprehensive report also provides key definitions and background information for a well-rounded view of the technology.

Table of Contents

Executive Summary

Introduction

• History of DSL Technology Development
• Methodology
• Scope

Technology Basics

• Introduction to DSL
• Description of DSL Variants
  • Asymmetric DSL
  • Asymmetric DSL Lite
  • Rate-Adaptive DSL
  • High–Bit Rate DSL
  • High–Bit Rate DSL2
  • Symmetric DSL
  • Integrated Services Digital Network DSL
  • Very-High–Bit Rate DSL

Market Drivers: Current Demand for Broadband-Access Technologies

• Broadband Market Size
  • Personal Computer Owners
  • Internet Users
  • Other Access Users
• Demand for Broadband Access Services
  • Small Business-Small Office Home Office/Teleworker
  • Mass-Market/Residential
• Consumer and Small-Business Applications Driving Broadband Markets
  • Consumer Applications Driving Broadband Access
    • E-mail
    • Electronic Stock Brokerage
    • Financial Services
    • Consumer Travel
    • On-line Shopping
    • Interactive Television and Entertainment
    • Gambling
    • Internet and Video Telephony
  • Business Applications Driving Broadband Access
    • E-mail
    • Financial Services
    • Business Travel
    • Electronic Commerce
    • Streaming Audio and Video
    • Periodicals
    • Internet and Video Telephony
• Forecasts for Broadband Access: Consumer and Business
  • Consumer
  • Business
  • Consumer and Business Forecasts

Regulatory Issues Impacting DSL Deployment

• Telecommunications Act of 1996
  • Interconnection
  • Negotiation
  • Access to Unbundled Elements
  • Methods for Obtaining Interconnection and Access to Unbundled
  • Network Elements
  • Access to Rights of Way
  • Resale
  • Section 706 Proceedings
  • Spectrum Compatibility
  • Spectrum Management
  • Line Sharing
  • Universal Service
  • Federal Communications Commission Authority on DSL

Technology Hurdles for DSL

• State of the Local Loop
  • Load Coils
  • Bridge Taps
  • Digital Loop Carriers
  • Loop Testing and Qualification Issues
• Spectral-Compatibility Issues
  • Interoperability and Standards
  • Software Improvements
  • Software Integration
  • ADSL Lite

DSL Deployments to Date: Lessons Learned

• Bell Atlantic
• Ameritech
• U S West
• BellSouth
• SBC Communications–Pacific Bell
• GTE
• Other Incumbent Local Exchange Carriers
• Competitive Local Exchange Carriers
  • Covad
  • NorthPoint Communications
  • Concentric Network Corporation
  • @Work, a division of @Home

The DSL Business Case for Various Types of Local–Exchange Service

• Remote Access to a Corporate Local Area Network
• High-Speed Internet Access
• Access for Campus, Hospitality, and Shared-Tenant Facilities
  • Campus Environments
  • The Hospitality Industry
  • Shared-Tenant Facilities
• Home Networks

DSL vs. Competing Broadband–Access Technologies

• Competing Technologies for Consumer Applications
  • Cable Modems
    • Cable Plant Upgrades Required for Two-Way Broadband Services
    • Cable Modems Promise Broadband Services to Customers
    • Cable Standards
    • Strengths and Weaknesses
  • Broadband Satellites
    • Direct Broadcast Satellite
    • DirecPC
    • Echostar
    • Spaceway
    • Strengths and Weaknesses
  • Wireless
    • Multipoint Multichannel Distribution Service
    • Local Multipoint Distribution System
• Competing Technologies for Business Applications
  • Broadband Satellite
    • CyberStar
    • Spaceway
    • Teledesic
    • Strengths and Weaknesses
  • Broadband Wireless
    • Local Multipoint Distribution System
    • Fixed Wireless
    • Strengths and Weaknesses

Strategies by Service Provider Type

• Competitive Local Exchange Carriers
• Interexchange Carriers
• Incumbent Local Exchange Carriers
• Internet Service Providers

Vendor Profiles

• ADC Telecommunications
• ADTRAN
• Alcatel
• Ascend Communications
• Aware
• Cisco Systems
• Copper Mountain Networks
• Diamond Lane Communications Corporation
• Lucent Technologies
• Nortel Networks
• Orckit Communications
• PairGain Technologies
• Paradyne
• Tut Systems
• Westell

Service Provider Profiles

• America Online
• Bell Atlantic
• Concentric Network Corporation
• Covad Communications
• MCI WorldCom
• Rhythms Net Connection
• SBC Communications

Conclusions

Contributors

Author

Judith Hellerstein is the president of Hellerstein & Associates, a research group specializing in market analysis, competitive intelligence, and regulatory analysis of telecommunications, broadband access, and wireless issues. She has more than ten years experience in business and competitive analysis in the telecommunications and technology markets. Ms. Hellerstein has a master's in public administration with a concentration in international management from Columbia University. Before founding Hellerstein & Associates, she worked for MCI Communications, the Federal Communications Commission, the Office of the Vice President of the United States, and two New York government agencies. Ms. Hellerstein is an active member of the Federal Communications Bar Association, the DC Technology Council, Capitol Telecommunications Professionals, Netpreneur Exchange, and is vice president of the Columbia University Club of Washington, D.C.

Features

The Future of DSL is an in-depth resource designed to help senior business managers and strategists understand the factors affecting the implementation and deployment of DSL technology and how this technology can best benefit their companies. The report accomplishes the following:

• Analyzes the current state of DSL deployment by telecom service providers
• Examines rollout strategies and market positions of DSL vendors and suppliers
• Reviews the eight DSL variants
• Looks at five ingredients key to the successful widespread deployment of DSL: regulatory issues; state of the local loop; standards and interoperability issues; marketing strategies used by ILECs, CLECs, and ISPs; and systems-integration issues
• Discusses differences between the consumer and business applications driving the broadband market
• Canvasses competing technologies such as cable modems, broadband satellites, and wireless
• Provides definitions of key terms
• Profiles major DSL vendors and suppliers

Who Should Read This Report

• Internet service providers who want to compete in the broadband high-speed access market
• incumbent local exchange carriers who need to evolve their networks to meet the bandwidth requirements of both business and residential customers
• competitive local exchange carriers who hope to take advantage of the new competitive environment available via DSL services
• Enterprise IT Managers who must understand the differences between the various DSL technologies and anticipate which will be most appropriate for their networks
• equipment vendors who must stay abreast of the changing network infrastructure and keep up to date with the most preferred digital architectures
• interexchange carriers whose innovative end-to-end networks will use the reach of DSL into the local loop
• regulators who will shape the future of the competitive market for DSL technologies through continued policy-making
• university professors whose research and courses must reflect the most recent developments in digital networks and transmission mediums

Order Now

July 1999
250 pages
ISBN 0-933217-62-5
$2,495
Additional copies $1,995 (when ordered with above)
Place an order.

Copyright 1999 International Engineering Consortium

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