Making Cable Work

For over a year, a little company named CableWeb Systems has facilitated the running of several "any-ISP" cable modem operations, proving that access providers can operate a profitable one-way cable service today.

by Patricia Fusco ISP-Planet Managing Editor [July 13, 1999]

Rather than join the fracas over mandated access to cable networks, a shrewd Philadelphia-based company decided instead to expend its energy on making cable access work.

Metered bandwidth, security issues on shared networks, and network degradation are all barriers to providing high quality cable modem access. But Stephen M. Getz, CableWeb Systems, Inc. co-founder and chief operating office says it can be done—now.

Getz said, "Cable networks need to be able to dynamically manage bandwidth, provide comprehensive security, monitor usage, and direct the traffic to respective ISPs, because consumers demand choice." Innovative software developers like CableWeb Systems (CWS) stand ready to meet these challenges, solving the problems inherent to cable modem access, and offering a success story that's worth reading.

The right business model
Five years ago, when CableWeb Systems first started to sort out the technical issues facing broadband access, its analysts quickly recognized that the telco model for bandwidth management simply would not work for cable access. Rather, they found that the cable television model, with its tiered service levels, seemed to hold the most promise for "always-on" Internet access—providing customers with the speed they need at a price they're willing to pay.

The result of their research led to the company's development of Broadband Access Management (BAM) technology and associated software applications.

CWS's BAM solutions dynamically manage the consumption and distribution of broadband bandwidth. That means that the system can deliver differentiated or tiered services while maintaining comprehensive reporting and analysis features. Together these capabilities provide an answer to the looming problem of effective broadband bandwidth management.

Consequently, BAM seems well positioned to be a principal facilitator fostering the explosive growth of broadband access services and essential to the industry's profitability.

The right product
Currently, the company's BAM applications are a part of their HomeStream one-way cable data solution, debuted in April 1999. Designed to deliver broad, rapid subscriber penetration, HomeStream melds intelligent software with standard hardware to deliver the lowest-cost cable data system available on the market.

HomeStream can provide consumers with high-speed cable Internet access today, regardless of their location within the cable service area. HomeStream allows cable operators and service providers to quickly enter the lucrative one-way market, realizing immediate revenue, without upgrading their cable infrastructure. All you need is a T1 line, the Microsoft Windows NT-based HomeStream Cable Data System, and subscribers eager to download content at speeds of up to 1.5 megabits per second.

CWS insists that cable access based on tiered rates is the start of the solution to broadband bandwidth management. It's a matter of everybody getting what they deserve, according to Getz.

"Different service levels for home, small business, and priority business are required because their usage patterns are different. In order for subscribers to get what they deserve, bandwidth must be managed dynamically, on the fly."

CableWeb Systems believes its broadband management solutions have solved the problems inherent to providing quality cable modem access. If they're right, the company stands to be a driving force behind the successful deployment of broadband services worldwide.

—End