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DSL Is The New Dial-Up
At least according to one analysis firm...

The second quarter was the worst quarter ever for DSL additions, with AT&T and Verizon barely adding 100,000 broadband customers, but collectively losing 220,000 DSL customers (130,000 for Verizon, 90,000 for AT&T). Why? The slow housing market plays a role, as does DSL users migrating to fiber. Verizon's neglect of DSL infrastructure and marketing is also a reason. But the baby bells are also hampered by DSL's slower speed in the face of 10-20Mbps cable, popular cable technologies like Powerboost, and VoIP bundles.

The shift makes DSL the new dial-up, according to a new report by stat farm Strategy Analytics, which examines the impact that last quarter's dismal showing in new telco DSL additions will have on the industry. "The Telcos' core DSL offerings are unable to compete effectively with Cable; they must step up their already frenetic fiber roll out to stay in the game," says Strategy Analytics researcher Ben Piper. "Indeed, we are starting to see DSL become the new Dial Up." In other words, despite the advice of weak kneed investors, it's time to upgrade.

Cable appears to be better positioned because DOCSIS 3.0 upgrades are cheaper than running fiber (be it FTTN or FTTH), and MSOs are adding VOIP customers much more quickly than the telcos are adding video subscribers. But the bells' primary strength right now is wireless, and this fight could get much more interesting once they begin serious deployment of LTE wireless broadband (AT&T claims 20Mbps wireless by 2009, though that's optimistic). Verizon's focus on urban fiber (thanks to bendable fiber) could also speed up FiOS numbers.

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Slidetbone
Mazin Go
Premium Member
join:2002-11-10
Land O Lakes, FL

2 recommendations

Slidetbone

Premium Member

What does it matter?

I get so many laughs from this thread! You guys are so funny!

Who cares who is better? Who cares? There are folks that want the bang for the buck. There are folks that want to stretch the buck. There are folks that wished they had the buck for high speed! The "who's the best" thing means jack schitt when it comes down to a) what is available; b) what can I afford; c) how much more can I get if I pay; d) what will I get.

Then this can be whittled down to a) what will I do with it; b) what CAN i do with it; c) Can I do that with it.

The technologies do one common basic function: get you access to the internet faster than the first generation platform: dial-up. What you want to do with it is based on the user needs: gaming, pay for the pipe. Emails and general browsing, pay for basic. Teleconferencing and filesharing, pay for the big pipe. Does it matter if it is cable or DSL? Maybe, but can you have a schmorgasboard to choose from? Not everyone can....

If the gamer cannot get cable and has DSL, they complain. If the general browser can't get DSL but pays out the wazoo for cable, they complain. And if the dial-upper can't get neither, they frown al the baloney they see because it comes down to choice, affordability and availability!

DOCIS 3, Fios, 10M tiers, 20/20 tiers, bundles, chevy versus ford, F-16 versus F-117, Skippy versus JIF...

None of the technologies will die. They will evolve. Anyone see the demise of dial-up after all these years? Dial-up, because of physical limitations is at it's crest. DSL will improve and so has cable.

So...does it matter which one is better?