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From: rodney@solar.card.inpu.oz.au (Rodney Campbell)
Newsgroups: comp.society
Subject: Re: Predictions on what ISDN can be used for?
Message-ID: <1183@limbo.Intuitive.Com>
Date: 12 Sep 90 16:32:43 GMT
Sender: taylor@limbo.Intuitive.Com
Organization: Telecom Australia
Lines: 31
Approved: taylor@Limbo.Intuitive.Com

Rob McMurtry asks about ISDN:

> I'm researching ISDN (International Services Digital Network) ...

It is Integrated Services Digital Network.

> ...  A few years back the bandwidth of ISDN seemed awesome (2 x 64k-bit, 
> 1 x 16k-bit) but it's beginning to appear a little pale in the face of 
> full motion video etc. that is integral with multimedia.

This 2B + D is the secondary rate or micro link which will hopefully be
used to service each and every house with a phone service.
What you will get in the home is an ISDN box to which you may attach 
any ISDN terminal or if you have existing equipment without an ISDN
interface you can use an ISDN terminal adaptor. This in effect gives you 2
x 64Kbit separate lines for use with :

	Phone, Computer, FAX, Still Images, etc...

The D channel (16Kbits) is used for signalling and control. There has been
some ideas that this underused channel should be used for off-peak data
transmission.

There is also the 30B + 2D Primary rate or MacroLink option which will
service larger transfer requirements.

ISDN is NOT front edge technology - the plans for ISDN have been arround
for years - it has just taken this long for its approval and
stabilisation. It is merely a stepping stone to the future.

Rodney Campbell