[109573] in Cypherpunks
Something is up in telecommunications...
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Lucky Green)
Tue Mar 30 05:26:33 1999
From: "Lucky Green" <shamrock@netcom.com>
To: <cypherpunks@algebra.com>
Date: Tue, 30 Mar 1999 02:05:23 -0800
Reply-To: "Lucky Green" <shamrock@netcom.com>
I have been in this game for some time now and there is little that
surprises me. Nonetheless, in the last few months I noticed some
developments that point towards significant changes in the way
telecommunications are priced.
First, I signed up for a PacBell ADSL line. For USD 49/month, you get better
than 1MB/minute downloads. That's ridicously cheap. You can simultaneously
use a standard POTS phone on the same line. What the average enduser
probably doesn't realize is that the ADSL adapter included is not limited to
providing IP via Ethernet, but actually allows you to tap into the protocol
that provides for the connection to the CO: ATM. That's right. We now have
ATM deployed to the home for 50 bucks a month. Everything upstream from the
CO is of course already running on ATM. Data, voice, it is all moved as ATM
frames.
What has changed is that now the benefits of ATM, such as QOS, can be
extended all the way to the enduser. Add an ATM PCI card to your PC, and
voila, your PC/PBX will offer QOS on your voice and data. So far, my telco
is keeping the ATM hidden under the hood, but that is unlikely to last.
Second, I just signed up for Efax. This free service does for fax what
Hotmail and Yahoo Mail did for email. You get your own incoming fax number
for fax delivery via email. Free of charge. I kidd you not.
http://www.efax.com
The only way to top this is free telephony. Which probably isn't far behind.
--Lucky Green <shamrock@netcom.com>
PGP 5.x encrypted email preferred
