Internet Technology

[ian@huth]

The "It's getting windier" thread sparked some very interesting discussion which I hope can be repeated in this thread. In a way it is on a subject that has a big bearing on capping but I would like it not to be the usual cap type thread.

We have gone from dial-up internet to broadband with massive increases in speeds, but where will we go in the future? Broadband is supplied in several flavours being supplied via telephone lines, cable, wireless and satellite. Each of these supply methods can be sub-divided, Telephone can be ADSL, RADSL, SDSL and VDSL. Cable can be DAVIC, DOCSIS and EuroDOCSIS. Apologies if any have been missed.

What are the constraining features of these methods of supplying broadband with regards to location and speed? How does contention work on the various methods? What is required to improve accessability and speed and is it infrastructure or software? Why can LLU unbundling give higher speed from a company but not from BT?

If customers are better informed about the broadband products available and the technology behind them it may stop a lot of the capping discussion and give them a grounding to base the choice of broadband supplier.

How easy and at what sort of cost would duplicating the fibre within cablecos be so that one could be used for TV and the other for broadband. How does VOD fit in with broadband and will the supply method of TV on cable change?

VDSL appears to be the thing for the future but will we see it and who would supply it? Will BT introduce it or will it be the province of specialist ISPs in very built up areas. Will cablecos supply VDSL?