Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!pcrat!rick
From: rick@pcrat.UUCP (Rick Richardson)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.modems
Subject: Re: Quote from Feb 88 Computer Shopper
Message-ID: <466@pcrat.UUCP>
Date: 6 Feb 88 17:44:56 GMT
References: <2237@charon.unm.edu> <2093@swlabs.UUCP>
Reply-To: rick@pcrat.UUCP (Rick Richardson)
Organization: PC Research, Inc., Tinton Falls, NJ
Lines: 38
Keywords: ISDN TrailBlazer

In article <2093@swlabs.UUCP> jack@swlabs.UUCP (Jack Bonn) writes:

>At what point do these modems become "ISDN-killers"?  (Sorry Rick.)

In many regards, they already are ISDN killers, at least for the
asynchronous RS-232 world.  Even though basic rate ISDN promises two
64Kb channels (plus the poor mans 16 Kb channel), the fact is that the
current practical limit for the interface speed is 19.2 (how many
systems out there really can take 38.4 on input -- not many).

Add in the (probable) reality that the RBOC's will price ISDN
service at a premium, and you find that 'blazers and two
line analog phones gives Little Widget Corp everything they
wanted anyway.

Of course, ISDN makes more sense for larger businesses.  The
promise of a single integrated network, higher fidelity audio,
video, blah, blah, blah...   The capability is well known, the timeframe
still isn't.

ISDN also makes more sense if you toss out the limitations of the
RS-232 interface and go "backplane to backplane", as it were.
The PC market is getting BRI capability at this level.  I suspect
you'll see PRI interfaces for mainframes following soon after.

No matter what happens over the next 20 years or so, the 'blazers
and ISDN will probably complement each other nicely.  At some
point you're going to want to connect with an area still served
with analog lines.  The 'blazers will make a real nice modem
pool for accessing those areas.

I fully expect ISDN to be a winner.  However,  I also expect that
10 years hence my little company will still be using
'blazer descendants for data.
-- 
	Rick Richardson, President, PC Research, Inc.
(201) 542-3734 (voice, nights)   OR   (201) 834-1378 (voice, days)
		uunet!pcrat!rick