New Direction for Data
An ambitious bid by three personal-computing giants to promote a new high-speed Internet standard for ordinary copper phone lines may already be falling victim to rivals who claim to have a better mousetrap.
US West Communications Group, one of the five regional Bell companies that pledged to joined Compaq Computer Corp., Intel Corp. and Microsoft Corp. in creating new, high-speed Internet pipelines for business and residential users, said it will initially use a version of high-speed data-transmission technology that does not conform to the new personal-computing standard.
The new technology, known as asymmetric digital subscriber line, or ADSL, has been eagerly awaited by Internet users because it costs only slightly more than standard telephone service yet can deliver data up to 30 times faster than today’s computer modems.
Greg Gum, executive director of megabit services at US West, said the company will initially use a version of ADSL offered by Paradyne Corp. of Largo, Fla., because its products will be available in 60 days and will be easier to configure and install than competing technologies.
“We are continuing to evaluate a number of different [ADSL] technologies,” Gum said. “But we are looking to adopt and accelerate the deployment of [Paradyne’s] technology for our customer base because it is here right now.”
US West has announced it will aggressively deploy ADSL and make the service available throughout its 14-state service area in the next six months.
In hedging their bet on ADSL, US West officials say they are particularly impressed that Paradyne’s ADSL products work more like current computer modems than the standard being proposed by Intel, Microsoft and Compaq.
Up to eight Paradyne modems can be plugged in to phone outlets in a home. By contrast, the PC standard allows only one modem per household phone line.
In addition, Paradyne’s equipment consumes less power and generates less heat. However, it delivers data at only about two-thirds the standard speed envisioned by the PC-Bell coalition.
An official with Paradyne, which has been working on the technology for 18 months, acknowledged that the company could have timed its product introduction better. Paradyne unveiled its technology at a computer industry trade show in Washington, where the PC-Bell coalition also announced its new standard.
“We did begin our disclosure process a little late,” said Frank Wiener, vice president and general manager of Paradyne. “But since we’ve announced our product, the response has been extremely interesting. . . . We’ve been contacted by several of the phone companies.”
