Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!think!ames!ucbcad!ucbvax!hoptoad.UUCP!gnu
From: gnu@hoptoad.UUCP (John Gilmore)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: ISDN
Message-ID: <8712131348.AA10490@hop.toad.com>
Date: 13 Dec 87 13:48:28 GMT
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I recently got some information on ISDN from a friend.  This is from
handwritten notes, so it may be somewhat garbled, and it's all
preliminary and subject to change, but at least it's a starting point.

Pacific Bell will eventually offer tariffed ISDN service, probably about
1990.  They are proceeding with ISDN and also continuing their Project
Victoria experiment, which they claim is more useful (e.g. it only gives
32Kb/sec to voice, since that's all that's needed with modern codecs).
The ISDN service is expected to offer traditional 2B+D service
(2x64Kb/sec and 1x16Kb/sec over a single pair of wires), at a rate
about 25-30% above the basic monthly rate for voice phone service.
It is not clear whether unmeasured service will be offered, or in what
exchanges it will first be implemented.

There are three classes of service contemplated:

	* digital voice (which can be routed through analog switches,
	  e.g. to call normal telephones)
	* packet data, at about $.35/Kseg, where a segment is <= 128 bytes
	  and might be able to move over either a B or D channel.
	* circuit switched data, at about $.05-.15/minute.

From a very brief cost analysis I conclude that, at these rates, I
probably won't want ISDN service.  Telebit modems on regular voice
lines will only run 18Kb/sec but compare favorably on cost/byte
and talk to anybody anywhere who has one (as well as to 300/1200/2400
modems).  And residence users can run them on unmeasured service for
local calls.