[author]
[subject]
[title] '; include("head.php"); ?> Telecom Trials

Competing with HFC: Tips, Tactics, and Tricks for Switched Digital Video Providers
Goldberg, Lee
[HTML version] [pdf version]

The author looks at two competing systems for bringing voice, video, and data into homes and small businesses -- hybrid fiber/coax networks and switched digital systems. He discusses the architectural similarities and differences of each and the assumptions each makes about the future of communications. He argues convincingly that SDV's switched architecture and open-ended connectivity make it able to offer a wider variety of services. Finally, he provides some practical advice on how to leverage the strengths of SDV into competitive advantage.

Fiber Antics: Practical Lessons in Building a Municipal Fiber Optic Network
Grant, August E. , Ph.D.
Berquist, Lon
[HTML version] [pdf version]

Draws lessons from the city of Austin, Texas and its process to select a company to build a broadband network to provide telephone, cable TV, digital video, and digital data services. Readers may find the city's selection very interesting and insightful. It is hoped this information will be useful to companies wishing to work with city governments on advanced telecommunications networks.

Implementing an ATM-Based Teleradiology Network
Kapoor, Sanjay
[HTML version]  

The author explains his company's decision to deploy high-speed, broadband network technologies in their efforts to establish a patient-centered network connecting health care facilities over a three-state area.

Perspectives on Broadband Network Technologies and Applications
Perey, Christine
[HTML version] [pdf version]

The author reviews three initiatives currently underway in the San Francisco Bay Area to test broadband networked multimedia technologies and products. She gives us an overview of each project and interviews some of the people involved for their perspectives and insights.

Smart Communities In Action
Jung, John G.
[HTML version] [pdf version]

John Jung's companion article available only electronically.

Smart Communities: Digitally-Inclined and Content-Rich
Jung, John G.
[HTML version] [pdf version]

John Jung has previously written about the increasing role of telecommunications in any community's economic development strategy. In this latest NTQ article, he looks at the state of the smart community today. He argues that merely deploying additional wire does not make the community smart. The successful smart communities are those that are able to use the technologies of a knowledge-based economy to develop, market, and supply new products and services that are demanded both by other knowledge-based economies and by the developing markets moving in that direction.

Telemedicine in the 1990s: Issues and Opportunities
Thomas, Bennett
[HTML version] [pdf version]

Bennett Thomas looks at telemedicine in the 1990s, and its potential for delivering quality, cost-effective medical care. He notes that while high costs and inadequate infrastructure continue to be problems, cultural and human factors also present big obstacles to acceptance. This article includes five case studies from around the world: Newfoundland, the United States, Germany, Russia, and Third World Nations. He concludes that the keys to success are adequate funding and widespread project support from those involved.

Wireless Local Loop in Hungary: A Case Study
Bennatan, Elli
[HTML version] [pdf version]

Describes some of the challenges and lessons learned in the implementation of a fixed wireless telephony system in Hungary. The Hungarian national telecommunications operator required a wireless network that could provide the quality, performance, and features of competing landline systems.

xDSL: The Solution for Today's Bandwidth Demands?
Smith, David
[HTML version] [pdf version]

Looks at the future of several xDSL technologies and potential market opportunities. The primary focus is on several different variations of ADSL and why they provide a quick, cost-effective solution to today's bandwidth constraints. Concludes with a discussion of where the real market opportunities wait and raises some questions about potential problems.

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