Millions of digital subscriber line (DSL) transceivers and coaxial cable modems are expected to come on-line in the next few years. These devices work up to 100 times faster than dial-up modems, prompting their owners to accelerate their already heavy use of the network. If the public switched telephone infrastructure is hard pressed today, how will it respond tomorrow? Not very well. The state of high-speed residential access today is appalling. Al Gore's national information highway has no residential ramps, or at least none that allow digital signals to move at more than a snail's pace. Americans are connected by two different kinds of wire, both antiquated and both outdated. Category 1 unshielded twisted pair wire delivers low-fidelity voice, and RG-59 coaxial cable transports low-definition analog TV.
展开▼
