Resources:
  • DSL Prime News: The Inside Source
  • Talk about DSL issues on the ISP-DSL Discussion List
  • DSL Archives   2001   2000   1999

2000

Inside the Goldmine, NTT Bags DSL Hugh Ashton
[December 26, 2000] Japan's telco has long preferred ISDN over DSL, but with friendly regulation, NTT could learn to love DSL—and could learn the DSL tricks of other nations' telcos.

False Hopes Raised for DSL?  Jim Thompson
[December 6, 2000]  The FCC's recent ruling banning 'second line' charges for users buying DSL from independent providers has created a euphoria that realities may not sustain.

Device Doubles DSL Distance Jim Thompson
[December 20, 2000] Network-enhancement solution provider Symmetricom this week begins field trials of a loop extender system that promises to stretch the viable range of ADSL service to as much as six miles from CO.

Why are DSL Resellers in Trouble? Best of ISP-Lists
[December 8, 2000] Members of the ISP-DSL list discuss why it's tough to be in the DSL business. As ISPs fail to pay their bills, and the CLECs start to suffer, some are calling for the government to act.

Get a Better DSL Deal from Your Telco Best of ISP-Lists
[December 5, 2000] Members of the ISP-DSL list share an important trick of the ISP trade: How to get a cheaper DSL line from the local phone company by ordering an alarm circuit or dry copper pair.

Acceptable Use of DSL Best of ISP-Lists
[December 4, 2000] Members of the ISP-DSL list discuss industry practice on Acceptable Use Policies (AUPs) for DSL services. A well-written AUP is a tool to prevent the abuse of broadband services.

Video DSL: Coming Soon to a Computer Near You Jim Thompson
[November 29, 2000] Video over DSL may be a working reality sooner than you think. Why chase after voice-based DSL revenue at your Internet service when you could set your sights on delivering video programs to your DSL users.

Satellites Versus the Wired World Best of ISP-Lists
[November 28, 2000] One member of the ISP-DSL challenges the rest to offer satellite access instead of DSL. The discussion heats up quickly as DSL providers defend their business and their technology.

Caught Between a Customer and a Telco Best of ISP-Lists
[November 21, 2000] Members of the ISP-DSL list discuss explaining installation problems to DSL customers, and also discuss getting the incumbent telephone company to fix lines and DLAMs.

ME Hate DSL? Best of ISP-Lists
[November 4, 2000] Members of the ISP-DSL list discuss new configuration problems caused by Windows ME.

DSL's Top Speed Best of ISP-Lists [November 2, 2000] 
Is there a top speed for DSL? Members of the ISP-Broadband list discuss.

Open Standard for DSL — "A Stitch in Time" or "Too Little Too Late"?
Jim Thompson [October 30, 2000] The creation of the OpenDSL initiative has the industry excited, but will the "powers that be" give it the chance, and the push, it needs to have a significant impact?

Strategic Choices in DSL Deployment Rick Gilbert
[October 17, 2000] Grappling with DSL decisions? A tenured expert offers advice about the perennial DSL question: IP or ATM?

DSL Deployment Automation Wayne Kawamoto
[October 17, 2000] Cygent and Nightfire announced an alliance that will produce a solution to streamline DSL ordering For ISPs and DSL resellers.

PacBell Swimming in Sea of DSL Complaints  Jim Thompson
[September 28, 2000] Customers of Pacific Bell's DSL service in California report billing problems, missed installation appointments, and poorly trained techs. The result: a record number of complaints and a DSL crisis for many.

Possible Way Out Of DSL Hell Patricia Fusco
[September 22, 2000] New Edge Networks is touting its solution to installation woes.

DSL Beyond the CO CLEC-Planet Staff
[September 21, 2000] Copper Mountain Networks announced a new DSL concentrator optimized for deployment in remote cabinets and neighborhood broadband gateways.

Here's How Dave Burstein
[September 20, 2000] Universal broadband service is practical and affordable. Every telco, not just SBC, should offer it.

$39.95 DSL Means Death Jim Wagner
[September 5, 2000] Verizon has lowered its prices to $39.95 per month, giving competing providers just $7.45 per month to recoup the $400 installation cost and cover the cost of service. This could be the beginning of the end.

Will ISPs Be Trampled in Dance of DSL Titans?  Jim Thompson
[August 22, 2000] RBOCs are leveraging their de facto (if not de jure) control of the local loop to dominate the DSL market; CLECs are beginning to explore selling directly to end-users. Where does this leave ISPs?

Homebrew DSL: The Sequel  Best of ISP-Lists
[August 14, 2000] Members of the ISP-DSL list discuss the extent to which you need your telco when setting up a direct DSL connection.

DSL Providers Get Failing Grade Patricia Fusco
[July 24, 2000] International research firm, ATLANTIC-ACM, Monday released a report slamming the customer service record of many of the nation's top DSL providers.

Speed Has Its Price Jim Thompson
[July 14, 2000] For many ISPs, the accelerated deployment of DSL has meant increased revenue and explosive growth, but it's also exposed weakness in the basic infrastructure of the Internet.

Aggregate and Expand DSL Wayne Kawamoto
[July 13, 2000] Netopia allows service providers to aggregate multiple DSL lines into a single, high-speed, virtual pipe. The bonding technology may also extend the reach of DSL.

Shotgun DSL Best of the ISP-Lists
[July 6, 2000] Members of the ISP-DSL list discuss using two DSL lines to create a single connection at twice the speed. One respondent claims it "Smokes along better than a T1 and is cheaper, too!" It is, however, complex.

DSL Brings High Speeds and Security Issues Jim Thompson
[June 21, 2000] Beware! Major security breaches lurk within your DSL connection. They can be resolved, but not without hard work and attention to detail.

VoDSL: Opportunities and Confusion for ISPs Jim Thompson
[May 23, 2000] Voice over DSL appears to be poised to open new markets with increased profits, but it's also prompting many ISPs to re-examine their business and their future.

Do ILECs Misreport Distance to Shirk Their DSL Obligations?
Best of the ISP-Lists [May 11, 2000] Members of the ISP-DSL list discuss how far SDSL service can reach, how to determine your distance from the nearest CO, and why your local phone company might lie to you.

Finding a DSL Provider Best of the ISP-Lists
[April 19, 2000] How can you help customers get DSL when they're too far from you? The ISP-DSL list examines DSL provider search sites, which will also tell you how far a customer is from the nearest CO.

Next Generation DSL Jim Thompson
[April 14, 2000] Elastic Networks, formerly part of Nortel Networks, unveils EtherLoop, combining the best of Ethernet and DSL. It may enable speeds of up to 10Mbps.

Can a DSL Line Handle Web Hosting Traffic? 
Best of the ISP-Lists [February 29, 2000] It's tempting to try to use a DSL line instead of a T1 to save money. The experts on the DSL list point out that there are significant differences between the two.

Free DSL: You Get What You Pay For Jim Thompson
[February 23, 2000]  Yes, it worked for dialup Internet access, but is the give-it-away business model viable for DSL? With high entry costs—and with demand far outstripping supply—the prognosis is doubtful.

Added Services Are Key to DSL Success Jim Thompson
[January 18, 2000]  DSL's growth in 2000 should be huge. Central to the evolving success formula will be the bundling of voice, application, and similar services.

1999

DSL News Briefs  Jim Thompson [November 12, 1999]
* Déjà vu: Telcos explore video via DSL 
* Covad to distribute Netopia hardware
* Sacramento to get DSL early in Y2K
* Concentric, 3Com form hardware/service pact

DSL: Rough Road to the Promised Land  Jim Thompson
[November 9, 1999]  Delays, problems, and outages mar the progress of the technology's deployment. Orders outpace the ability to support them. But can ISPs afford to wait?

Move Over Cable, Here Comes G.Lite! Jim Thompson
[June 23, 1999] Standards are in place; hardware is in the pipeline. Now look for explosive deployment of this easy-to-install DSL technology that brings the promise of broadband to just about anyone who wants it.