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From: depolo@eniac.seas.upenn.edu (Jeff DePolo)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: Make Sprint Put it in Writing!
Message-ID: <12319@accuvax.nwu.edu>
Date: 18 Sep 90 13:50:11 GMT
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Reply-To: Jeff DePolo <depolo@eniac.seas.upenn.edu>
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X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 654, Message 7 of 7


In article <12255@accuvax.nwu.edu> halle@homxb.att.com (Jeffrey C
Halle) writes:

> From article <12191@accuvax.nwu.edu>, by depolo@eniac.seas.upenn.edu
>(Jeff DePolo):

>> Having been using US Sprint from home (while still having AT&T at
>> work) since before US Telecom and GTE Sprint merged, I can honestly
>> say that their fiber optic network is second to none.  If you make

>You mean the fiber network that they lease from AT&T?  Virtually all
>noise in a line is due to the CO and the drop, i.e. the copper from
>the CO to the network interface at the building.  The noise difference
>between the AT&T line at your office and the Sprint line at your home
>is due to Bell of PA equipment differences, not IEC differences.
>(I've heard U of PA phones; they're lousy even for local calls.)

I strongly disagree.  If I use my USS calling card from the office,
noise is greatly reduced.  Some of the other LD carriers heavily rely
on satellites (MCI purchased Satellite Business Systems, owners of
"Skyline").  These, I admit, are worse than AT&T.  I remember having
Skyline before they were bought by MCI and echoing was a problem.
Also, at times, the connection was half duplex - you couldn't
interrupt the person on the other end while they were talking.  But
still, anything other than fiber optic for a long haul will typically
have a lower S/N ratio, in reality.  Theoretically, if all of the
microwave links/ hard wire/satellite equipment was up to spec, there
shouldn't be much difference between fo and the old mediums.  But this
isn't the case.

BTW, all of U of P is on its own campus-wide system known as Penntrex,
and isn't maintained, wired, or supported by Bell of PA.

A second BTW, I lived on campus for two years and never had local line
noise problems when using USS.

Basically the argument boils down to this: overall, all of the LD
carriers still have to use Ma Bell local lines at the ends of the
connection, so whoever has the highest quality _between_ regions wins
the prize.  Local telco noise is common to everyone, so it has nothing
to do with the argument regarding which service has the cleanest
audio.


Jeff DePolo  N3HBZ             Twisted Pair: (215) 386-7199                  
depolo@eniac.seas.upenn.edu    RF: 146.685- 442.70+ 144.455s (Philadelphia)  
University of Pennsylvania     Carrier Pigeon: 420 S. 42nd St. Phila PA 19104