Excerpt: The Total Network (published to coincide with NCTA Convention, June 1994)
Computers and communications. Information and entertainment. Telephony and cable. Voice, video and data. These convergences create dramatic opportunities for service providers and network operators.
But convergence can bring congruence or chaos. Opportunities carry costs as well as rewards, and managing both requires the ability to make the right choices. Once those choices are made, acting on them quickly can capture the competitive edge.
Companies aggressively seeking that edge today are pursuing broadband multimedia trials, including projects that AT&T is managing with our customers Viacom, GTE and Pacific Telesis Video Services. AT&T's technology for ATM switching, broadband transport, consumer access and interactive servers will help bring thousands of households in to the Information Age, Part II, over the months ahead.
This mix of technology and its use in trials make this the most exciting period in my career. They put our industry at the center of history-making change.
That's not hyperbole. There are solid reasons behind the jockeying for position among major corporations in the last 18 months. The enthusiasm of the media may provoke too immediate expectations, but the outlook is strongly positive for network and service providers who make the right choices.
Luckily, the choices among network architectures include options with the future built-in - architectures with dramatic new capability and flexibility, but which are reasonable in cost. Network designers today have an array of choices for delivering broadband applications, including hybid fiber/coax networks, passive optical-fiber networks and all-digital hybrid networks.
And when they look closely, they'll even find that the modern full-service network can cost less to build and operate than a traditional twisted-pair network.
The primary reason that today's trials are so critical is that one size does not fit all providers. As a supplier, we say, "multimedia means multiple choice" - for providers as well as their users.
Like what you're reading? Let's talk. Contact Curtis Wilson at i&p.
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