ISDN -- the faster way to connect your computer with the outside world -- is easier and more affordable than ever. Stephen H. Wildstrom, who writes Business Week's Technology & You column, addressed the topic in the June 10 and 17 issues, and he joined Charles Fitzgerald, program manager in Microsoft's Internet Platform & Tools Division, to discuss ISDN in this BW Online chat.
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JackBW: Hi, everyone. I'm Jack Dierdorff of BW Online, and I'm delighted that we have here with us tonight Charles Fitzgerald, program manager in Microsoft's Internet Platform & Tools Division. He's CharlesF2. Plus, our other guest is Steve Wildstrom (SWildBW), who writes BW's popular Technology & You column. Steve's column in the last two issues addressed the new ease -- and relative affordability -- of ISDN service for your computer.
JackBW: Hi, Charles Fitzgerald. Hi, Steve.
SWildBW: Hello.
CharlesF2: Hello, Jack.
JackBW: Steve, you came early to ISDN, didn't you?
SWildBW: Yes. I had a pair of lines installed -- one in the office, one at home -- early last year. But it's only in the last few months that they have really become useful.
JackBW: Let's let Charles tell us quickly what Microsoft is doing for ISDN users.
CharlesF2: O.K. We started developing native ISDN support for Windows OS's about two years ago. It quickly became apparent that ISDN needs more than software. So we embarked on something we call the "Get ISDN for Microsoft Windows" program, which is an effort to simplify and streamline ISDN use and acquisition for our Windows users. This includes native ISDN support for Windows 95 and Windows NT, a lot of work with the hardware community to get high-performance drivers done, and probably the biggest challenge: actually working with telcos to make ISDN easy to order and configure. We shipped ISDN support for WIndows 95 in early March in the form of the ISDN Accelerator Pack -- which is free add-on software for Win95. NT already has ISDN support built in. At the same time, we unveiled a Web site: The address is http://www.microsoft.com/windows/getisdn, where you can learn about ISDN, download the ISDN Accelerator Pack, download drivers, and also determine whether ISDN is available in your region and if so, actually place an order.
JackBW: Now, some questions? Berwick26?
Berwick26: What are the positives/negatives of ISDN vs. cable modems? Briefly?
CharlesF2: ISDN is here today -- cable modems promise more bandwidth, but they are a couple years away from any kind of mass deployment.
SWildBW: You can get ISDN. Unless you live in one of a few special trial areas, you can't get to the Internet over cable, and may not be able to for two or three years -- or more.
Berwick26: Hmmm. TCI is expected to ship cable modems in quantity in September?
CharlesF2: Want to wager anything on that date?
Berwick26: Nope.
CharlesF2: They have to do a major rebuild of their network to support two-way traffic. Some estimates are 2% to 5% of their network will support cable modems today. The most network they have ever upgraded in a single year is 9%.
SWildBW: Motorola is planning to make something like 60,000 cable modems this year -- a drop in the bucket.
Berwick26: Thanks for the info.
JackBW: What would ISDN cost me, both capital outlay and operating costs?
CharlesF2: ISDN needs hardware, software, service, and something to connect to. Hardware is now under $200 for some devices, software is free if you are a Win95/NT user. The biggest cost is service.
SWildBW: As Charles says, the cheapest equipment is down around $200. But [service] cost of ISDN varies widely by where you live. Of the prices I've checked, the cheapest is PacTel in California, the most expensive, BellSouth.
CharlesF2: Tennessee has a $28-a-month flat rate.
LVolmar: I believe Tennessee still rates as cheapest.
SWildBW: BellSouth must have less clout with regulators in Tennessee than in Georgia, where installation is something like $300 and flat-rate service costs over $90 a month.
LVolmar: No, BellSouth just owed them money back. BellSouth does not have a "low" rate, but I do get ISDN flat rate for $65.
CharlesF2: U S West recently tried to raise Washington [state] flat-rate prices to $189. Go figure.
Berwick26: Is it true that Nynex does not offer ISDN?
CharlesF2: Nynex has some ISDN, but generally very slow. We're still waiting to take them live on the Get ISDN Web site.
Berwick26: Nynex is missing a HUGE opportunity, given their territory, no?
CharlesF2: You'd think the telcos would be anxious to satisfy high-end customers before lots of competitors show up.
SWildBW: Nynex does have a problem with some of the oldest telephone
infrastructure in the country.
Berwick26: Will the alternative providers, like MFS, offer ISDN?
SWildBW: I would expect any dial-tone provider to offer ISDN.
CharlesF2: Some of the alternative guys offer ISDN, but generally they are jumping to much bigger pipes.
Berwick26: Thanks.
Spoman: Which products would you recommend for a small office looking for ISDN Internet access? We have around four to five workstations...but will be growing.
CharlesF2: For a small office, I would look at the U.S. Robotics Sportster 128, the Diamond Telecommander, the Eicon DIVA, or the Digi DataFire.
Cornbot: That's the Diamond Supra NetCommander.
LAlvarez: What are your opinions on routers? Especially for small offices that might hook up more than one computer to the Net at once.
CharlesF2: Oh, you want a router -- perhaps Netramp or Netopia.
Spoman: What's a Netramp?
CharlesF2: Netramp = product name. The vendor name eludes me right now. Netopia is from Farallon.
LAlvarez: Also Ascend just came out with the Pipeline 25 Px, which is a single user router.
CharlesF2: Ascend is good choice as well.
SWildBW: There's an explosion of small-office routers in the $1,000 to $1,500 price class. Most support TCP/IP and IPX if you're using Netware.
Spoman: That's over our price range. Anything at a lower cost point?
CharlesF2: I think Netopia is under $1,000.
LAlvarez: Keep in mind that TAs [terminal adapters] do not route packets, and therefore are slower than routers. And lastly, most ISPs [Internet service providers] use Ascend MAX routers, so if you were to buy the Pipeline 25 Px with the compression option, you could get throughput up to 512kb -- assuming your ISP uses Ascend, of course. I would have offered this as a solution for Macintosh users in your BW article, since the router plugs into the Ethernet port, and is not slowed down by the serial port bottleneck.
CharlesF2: Our ISDN software will support STAC compression, which is what Ascend and others use. So you can get that kind of throughput from a variety of boards.
Spoman: What is STAC compression?
CharlesF2: STAC compression is a particular flavor of compression -- both ends need to support it for it to be used.
SWildBW: Compression is an important topic. Even a single ISDN B channel, 64 kbps, is a lot faster than you'd think when you compare it to a 28.8 modem. To get 28.8 out of an analog line, the modem firmware is doing a phenomenal amount of compression. 64k is the basic data rate of a B channel. Compression can buy you a lot more. The problem is a lack of compression standards at the moment, but STAC is probably the nearest thing we have to a standard.
LAlvarez: Do any TAs offer compression?
CharlesF2: The compression we are talking about is usually done in software at the PPP level.
LAlvarez: Your article made ISDN look like a bleak option for Mac users (IMHO).
SWildBW: I was maybe a little tougher than I should have been. I've since found out that there are a few internal ISDN Mac boards out there, but they're pretty exotic. And Mac System 7.5 doesn't really have ISDN support built in. You can make ISDN work on a Mac -- I know people who do -- but this is one area where the Mac is definitely harder than either Win95 or NT.
LAlvarez: That's another good reason to use a router, since that uses Ethernet PPP.
SWildBW: Yes. A router is completely indifferent to the OS you run on the TCP/IP hosts, as long as they speak TCP/IP.
LAlvarez: I would agree that at the consumer level the Mac might be behind the other OS's.
Oracle69: What does the bridge cost for ISDN home use?
CharlesF2: I haven't priced bridges.
SWildBW: Nor I.
LAlvarez: Bridges are in the $500 range. Add about $200 to $300 for routing and about the same for a compression option.
Oracle69: Any particular brand?
LAlvarez: Like I said earlier, I would check what brand routers your ISP uses, and buy a compatible one to achieve compression. Ascend seems to be the most popular.
SWildBW: Let me throw a question at Charles: ISDN right now is fairly easy to configure on Windows NT, but it only supports a very few boards -- and those tend to be fairly expensive. What are the prospects for some of the cheaper equipment becoming available for NT, especially as Remote Access Servers, where ISDN really shines?
CharlesF2: We're seeing ISDN equipment costs plummet -- from $1,400 three to four years ago to passing under $200 now. NT today has probably 10 boards available, but this number is going to go way up with the release of NT 4.0 later this summer. NT is about to go high-volume, and there are a lot of ISDN board vendors who are working on this. Also, Win95 and NT now share the same driver architecture, so it is even easier for board developers to get their drivers done. We also will add routing in software to NT 4.0, which means an NT server can be your router, using standard ISDN cards -- no special hardware required.
Oracle69: Can Nynex deliver ISDN service, or is everything I heard true?
SWildBW: Oracle69, I do know a fair number of people in the Nynex service area.
Super90210: Here in Maine the local phone companies haven't begun to offer ISDN. Nynex doesn't know it exists.
CharlesF2: About all I can say about Nynex without getting into trouble is that they have been a real challenge to work with on ISDN.
JackBW: A master of diplomacy!
Alphaj54: I have a 14.4 modem now. Is it worth upgrading to 28.8 or go with ISDN?
JackBW: Good question, Alphaj54.
SWildBW: Alphaj54, it depends on what you need it for and what you're willing to spend. You can upgrade to a 28.8 modem for maybe $150 for a good one.
Alphaj54: Just for fun gettin around the Internet.
CharlesF2: Re 14.4 vs. 28.8, if you are just doing Internet access and your ISP supports ISDN, go ISDN. If you doing other apps that don't support ISDN, you might still want the modem.
SWildBW: ISDN will cost $200 for a TA, at least $100 for line installation, and probably $30 to $50 a month for service. But once you get on the Net at 128K, there's no going back.
Alphaj54: Thanks for the info.
Oracle69: That's O.K. I get the goop, and I can say they are slower than molasses. 128K -- how wonderful...
CharlesF2: You can check out prices on the getisdn Web site -- unless you are in Southwestern Bell or Nynex territory (we will have Nynex up someday).
LAlvarez: Bell South is supposedly going to provide an ISDN line with service for $53 a month in August as part of Commerce Net.
Cornbot: Remember that you may still want to use your old modem, or a fax machine, so be sure to get ISDN equipment that gives you analog telephone service.
Simpsonrw: My situation is much like Alpha's, but I have a 28.8 modem. While I have a lot of delays, they are spent waiting for connections, etc., instead of waiting for downloads. If I get an ISDN, will it reduce the "connect" time? To what extent will ISDN help if the computer on the other end does not have ISDN?
SWildBW: Simpsonrw has a good point. A fast connection won't make a slow server run faster. And ISDN won't work at all unless your ISP supports ISDN.
CharlesF2: ISDN will let you download things faster, and in the near future, there will be protocols that will drop the connection when not transmitting and set it back up quickly when you have data to transmit -- something called BACP that works across any hardware.
SWildBW: But there's an advantage to ISDN that we haven't talked about. ISDN calls complete almost instantly -- no waiting for a connect and then modem negotiation.
LAlvarez: What is an average ISP cost for an unlimited 128k dial-up connection?
CharlesF2: Haven't priced 128k ISP costs. MSN (can I say that here?) charges you the same as two analog calls right now.
LVolmar: The average cost of unlimited ISDN Internet access is about $30 in hot areas.
Cornbot: Diamond's Supra NetCommander already dynamically adds and drops the second B-channel to save connect charges.
CharlesF2: Diamond add/drops channels only when connected to another Diamond board -- still proprietary.
Cornbot: Not so. It does it with Ascend, Livingston....
CharlesF2: It is still a proprietary protocol -- there may be some others using it.
Oracle69: At what speed is most Internet data transferred?
CharlesF2: There are very few sites connected to the Net at less than 56k -- so there is definitely some benefit. Of course, that server could be congested, in which case extra bandwidth is no help.
LAlvarez: What are the chances that an ISP will be using Diamond-compatible boards? Would it be better to use a brand that is more likely to be used by an ISP -- such as Gandalf, Bay Network, Livingston, or Ascend?
SWildBW: All that matters is the ISP. The Internet backbone runs on a variety of digital protocols, but these are really of no interest to end users. ISPs of any size are connected to the backbone at least with a T3.
CharlesF2: Re your purchase decision, don't buy a card because it works with some ISP's equipment. What if you move? What if the ISP goes out of business (it will be bloody soon)? Those protocols can be upgraded with software -- you want the Bandwidth Allocation Control Protocol. MS, Ascend, Bay, Cisco, Shiva, USR, etc., are all implementing.
LAlvarez: Exactly why I would prefer to buy a brand like Ascend than Diamond, since most ISPs are likely to be compatible with it. The same way most ISPs use USR modems for 28.8 k modem connections.
Cornbot: How close is BACP to being a broadly implemented standard? Tough to tell...
CharlesF2: MS will ship BACP support the end of the year, and it will be software that works on any card.
Cornbot: Diamond is built to work perfectly with Ascend equipment, since, as you pointed out, most ISPs use Ascend.
Spoman: Is the Netramp or Netopia compatible with most ISPs?
CharlesF2: No idea on Netramp/Netopia compatibility. Issue is most ISPs are not yet set up for ISDN.
LAlvarez: Netopia is an OEM for 3COM TAs, so base your compatibility on that.
Cornbot: It is true that Microsoft's leadership in standardizing these issues has made it much easier and cheaper for hardware vendors to deliver quality, interoperable ISDN solutions.
Spoman: Where can I get more info on Netramp and Netopia products?
CharlesF2: Netopia is from Farallon, who are in the Bay Area (Emeryville?).
LAlvarez: Netopia-----> www.farallon.com
JackBW: Thanks, LAlvarez.
LAlvarez: Are there any software solutions to the dymamic IP issue when dealing with multiple machines and a router?
CharlesF2: The dynamic IP address with multiple machines is tricky -- same group of companies who did BACP are working on that now, but no solution yet.
LAlvarez: A company named Zyxel claims to have such a product.
CharlesF2: I'm not familiar with any routers from Zyxel -- they do have ISDN modems, I know.
SWildBW: For Netramp, a Web search will probably turn up a site.
Cornbot: SWildBW, are you thinking of Trancell's WebRamp?
Spoman: WebRamp rings a bell. I think I read about them in MacUser.
JackBW: What will it take to make ISDN a household word, like PC? Any kind of market push in the offing?
LAlvarez: Cheaper rates, for sure.
CharlesF2: There is a lot of work to be done to make ISDN a mass-market service.
SWildBW: The hardware guys have done a good job making ISDN simpler and cheaper. Microsoft has taken care of the operating systems. Now it's largely up to the phone companies to make the service cheaper.
CharlesF2: The PC industry is very frustrated with the lack of bandwidth, and ISDN seems to be the only game in town for the next couple years. So the PC industry is pushing hard, but there are still things we can't control, like configuration, installation, pricing of the service.
LAlvarez: I think when cable companies start offering 10mbs Internet access at their standard cable rate, mass market ISDN will be in trouble.
CharlesF2: The cable-modem threat has motivated the telcos, but instead of selling what they have, they are talking about ADSL, their next four-letter acronym. We'll see how quickly they can roll that out. ISDN has only taken 10-plus years, after all.
LAlvarez: LOL. What about PacTel asking the FCC to raise ISDN rates?
CharlesF2: PacTel asked the California Public Utility Commission to raise rates. You should let them know what you think of this. The commission is in San Francisco.
LAlvarez: Sorry, I thought it was the FCC -- same difference, though.
SWildBW: After the first column, I heard from a bunch of analysts telling me to get with it -- ISDN was old stuff, and ADSL was the new wave. Only I don't know of anywhere in the country that you can actually get ADSL service today, at least not non-experimental service. Give it a decade.
LAlvarez: I think cheaper T1 access will be more attractive that ADSL.
CharlesF2: I'll make the same wager on ADSL deployment that I will on cable modems.
LVolmar: ADSL has many of the same issues as ISDN and cable modem -- infrastructure problems. Copper wiring and infrastructure will require ADSL and cables mean a two- to three-year ramp.
CharlesF2: Make no mistake -- both will happen, and we are working on both, but it won't happen overnight.
Cornbot: It's bad enough to try and tell your telco you want to add one piece of ISDN equipment. Try getting them to add the second bit of ADSL to their site.
CharlesF2: There are 29 users in Texas who have ADSL today.
LAlvarez: So ISDN will be the only choice for home users for the next 10years! I doubt that.
CharlesF2: Unfortunately, network technologies do not evolve as fast as stand-alone PC stuff.
SWildBW: In fairness to the telcos, they have a very hard job here. The infrastructure investment is massive and difficult, if not impossible, to turn around quickly.
LAlvarez: What about the fiber infrastructure for long distance?
CharlesF2: Fiber is great for the backbone, but the cost to run fiber to everyone's home is prohibitive any time soon.
CharlesF2: The telcos are in bad shape, but hopefully deregulation will stir them.
JackBW: So your recommendation is to go for ISDN if you can -- your investment will be justified long before a better way comes along?
CharlesF2: If you want significantly faster access to the Internet or corporate LANs, then ISDN is the way to go today. You also should assume it is not trivial to install.
SWildBW: I think Charles summed it up nicely when I talked to him before I wrote. I have to paraphrase, but he said something like ISDN isn't the world's greatest technology, but unlike cable modems and ADSL, you can buy it today. That is likely to be the case for some time to come in most places.
CharlesF2: Or at least most people can buy it today -- still 40% of the country can't get ISDN.
JackBW: "for now, it's the only game in town" were his exact words.
JackBW: We've come to the end of our 45-minute hour. Thanks, Charles Fitzgerald of Microsoft (father of the Get ISDN for Windows program).
Spoman: Thank you for your time. It was a very informative session. :-)
JackBW: And thanks, Steve Wildstrom of BW's Technology & You column.
CharlesF2: Thank you for setting this up.
SWildBW: Thank you.
Spoman: Where do I get a transcript, JackBW?
JackBW: We'll have a transcript of this chat available soon. Look under Talk & Conferences on BW Online.
Spoman: Oh, thanks. :-)
JackBW: It will be loaded in a day or two -- after we put the chat into logical sequence --no small task!
LAlvarez: And don't forget to mention routers in your next column :-)
SWildBW: LAlvarez: I'm not quite ready to write about routers, but I am about to test one.
LAlvarez: Well, when it comes time to review it, I look forward to reading the article.
JackBW: Goodnight all -- and thanks for your lively participation.
Copyright 1996 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
