Westermo Industrial ADSL modem for remote site connectivity

Industrial ADSL modem The Westermo DR-250 is based on the new ADSL2/2+ platform, supporting the fast broadband speeds available.

ADSL2 offers considerable performance benefits over standard ADSL, including improved range and data rate. The Westermo DR-250 has an integral four port ethernet switch and a 25 pin RS-232 serial interface for local connectivity.

The Westermo DR-250 router has an integrated stateful inspection firewall and can support 20 IPSEC VPN (Virtual Private Network) terminations which can be secured using optional DES, 3DES, AES encryption and MD5 or SHA1 key exchange protocols.

These features ensure that the remote sites can use the new security technology to resist denial of service and hacking attacks.

The VPN’s can be used as a way of increasing security and to create secure tunnels, running between sites.

The VPNs can also be used to interconnect sites effectively replacing the requirement for dedicated leased lines.

A VPN tunnel can be established between any of the DR or MR series routers. Alternatively VPN’s can be created between the DR-250 and a third party router.
Source: ferret.com.au

SA nearing 1 Million broadband connections

South Africa is closing in on the one million broadband connection mark, mainly due to fast wireless broadband growth.

Telkom’s ADSL service is still the leading broadband service in South Africa with around 400 000 subscribers.

Vodacom’s 3G/HSDPA service is fast catching up to ADSL with 350 000 subscribers, and with a strong focus on broadband from Vodacom’s new Vodacom Business division 2008 may be the year where Vodacom surpasses Telkom in broadband subscribers.

MTN’s has not released any 3G/HSDPA subscriber numbers recently, but it is estimated that the mobile provider has around 70 000 subscribers.

iBurst continues to show good growth with 60 000 subscribers while Sentech has only a few thousand MyWireless subscribers left.

Wireless Internet Service Providers (WISPs) – typically using WiFi as a last mile access technology - account for 45 000 broadband subscribers.

This brings the total number of broadband connections in South Africa to 930 000. It is expected that the 1 Million broadband subscriber mark will be reached before the middle of 2008.

Source: mybroadband.co.za

High-speed broadband for Gloucester

Gloucester could soon be enjoying the benefits of high-speed broadband after Telstra upgraded the local exchange with ADSL 2+ broadband technology.
“For the first time, many families and businesses in Gloucester can get access to much higher broadband speeds from BigPond – opening up new opportunities for health, education, productivity improvements and entertainment,” Telstra spokesman Michael Sharpe said.

“This is an important step forward for telecommunications in the Gloucester region”.

The exchange servicing Gloucester was switched on after the Federal Government made clear that it does not consider there is a compelling case to regulate third party access to this service at this point and that, if there were an attempt to regulate the service in future, the existence of other competing broadband platforms would be highly relevant.

“ADSL 2+ provides the bandwidth families need so they can simultaneously use several devices at home – one parent can download work files, another can plan the family holiday online, while the kids are also online researching for school projects.

High-speed ADSL2+ broadband can provide network speeds of up to 20 Megabits per second (Mbps) depending on factors including the distance of a user from the exchange.
Source: yourguide.com.au

Ikanos chips away at bulky residential gateways

Ikanos, pursuing service provider demand to consolidate ADSL and VDSL functionality into single devices, has introduced a single-chip integrated front end (IFE) product to provide “true multimode support” of ADSL, ADSL2, ADSL2+, VDSL and VDSL2 while delivering VDSL2+ performance and conforming to DSL forum ADSL and ADSL2 performance specifications.

The sixth generation IFE incorporates the xDSL line driver into the unit to reduce external components and cut power consumption, said Peter Ahimovic, senior director of strategic marketing at Ikanos.

Consolidating all these functions within a single piece of consumer premises equipment is not overkill, he said, because “operators want to be able to ship just one CPE.”

The single-chip unit residential product reduces inventory management and “as access infrastructure changes (operators) can move from ADSL to VDSL quite easily,” he said. The unit also has the ability to interface with fiber-to-the- home applications by providing “one gateway with one wired interface for DSL and another separate gigabit Ethernet interface to attach to an ONT.”

All the bells and whistles needn’t be activated at once, Ahimovic noted.

“Some operators might just ship out units with features that aren’t enabled. Maybe somebody doesn’t sign up for voice service but they keep the voice ports in there and remotely they can turn them on.”

The concept of a multi-mode CPE isn’t new; the amount of consolidation within the single unit is, Ahimovic said.

“There are multi-mode CPE solutions in the market but the problem is they’re two solutions put next to each other. Today’s multi-mode is an ADSL gateway solution with a VDSL2 solution next to it and typically feeding into that ADSL gateway processor,” he said. “It’s much larger than it needs to be; there are a lot more bill of materials around it because you’re doubling a lot of different things; and the number of chips involved could be as high as five or six.”
Source: telecommagazine.com

Wired network routers and networking products from HSDPA

HSDPA is a leading mobile communication company that specialises in providing expert solutions to industrial communication needs. A variety of products related to communication networking and wireless and wired routing are offered by HSDPA. The company also offers integrated solutions to numerous industries combining the latest in broadband and wireless technologies.

As distributor for the Sairan range of products in Australia and New Zealand, HSDPA offers products that are reliable and effective in the global technological scenario. The wired products from HSDPA include ISDN terminal adaptors, ISDN routers, ISDN multiplexers, ADSL routers, PSTN backups and multiplexers with optional PSTN or GPRS.

The range of wired routers offered by HSDPA provide reliable and effective communication over PST, ISDN and ADSL networks with additional security of Virtual Private Network (VPN) technology. In addition, to provide dependable service level agreement, they also have automatic backup systems that allow vital communications like EPOS transactions to continue in the event of broadband failure.

TCP/IP routers for both entry level and sophisticated level of usage are offered by HSDPA. They can also be operated as serial terminal adaptors. HSDPA also offers multiplexers with optional PSTN or GPRS that give ultimate flexibility for mission critical applications.

Source: ferret.com.au

New ADSL solution launched

A new ADSL solution – which can bring significant savings by switching easily between local and international bandwidth - is launched today.
Cybersmart, an Internet Service Provider (ISP) known for its cost effective DSL384 products, has launched an innovative new ADSL solution which allows users to easily switch between local and international bandwidth.
The new Capextender add-on service allows users to switch seamlessly between international and local bandwidth at any time during the day or month to save on more expensive international bandwidth.
There are also no session timeouts which are typically associated with ADSL offerings. This however does not guarantee a static IP address as a router reset may result in a different IP address being allocated to the subscriber.
The local bandwidth is entirely unshaped, but does not allow P2P traffic.
Another unique feature of the service is that Cybersmart informs users on the fly as to whether a certain website is hosted locally or internationally.
Price
This new Capextender product – which is only available to Cybersmart one-price DSL384 and DSL512 subscribers – comes in three different flavours.
The ‘small capextender’, costs R10 and gives a user 0.5 GB of local bandwidth during the month.
The ‘medium capextender’, priced at R35 per month, lifts the local monthly bandwidth to 3 GB.
The ‘large capextender’, which costs R74 per month, has 20 GB of monthly local bandwidth usage.
In order to be in full compliance with the ADSL Regulations, which call for uncapped local bandwidth, additional local bandwidth usage after depleting both the allotted local and international bandwidth will be charged at R 20-00 per GB for DSL384 users and R 22-00 per GB for DSL512 subscribers.
This service can also be combined with Cybersmart’s bandwidth rollover product, which at R 21-00 allows for up to 3 GB of unused monthly international bandwidth to be saved.
A price sensitive ADSL 384 user looking for high local usage will most likely opt for the ‘combined price’ DSL384 service, with a 1 GB international cap, a 20 GB capextender add-on and a 3 GB 'giggy bank'.
The total cost of this service is R 264-00 per month – very competitive when compared with similar services in the market. Without the bandwidth rollover service the all-inclusive price is R 243-00 per month.
A typical combined price DSL384 service with a 1 GB monthly international usage allowance and a 20 GB local SAIX bandwidth will come to around R 540-00 – double the Cybersmart rate.
The Cybersmart combined price DSL service with a 3 GB monthly international usage limit and a 20 GB local bandwidth Capextender service is priced at R 333-00 – cheaper than the standard R 340-00 which users can expect to pay at many other ISPs for only their ADSL access and 3 GB international usage.
Source: mybroadband.co.za

D-Link foresees strong revenues

D-Link foresees strong revenues growth in Australia, Japan, South Korea and emerging markets in 2008

D-Link expects revenues from its international business unit, which covers markets in Japan, South Korea, Australia, India, Russia, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia, will grow 30-40% in 2008 from the US$400 million projected for 2007, according to Tony Tsao, president of D-Link's international unit.

Demand for application services related to ADSL, 3G, WLAN, WiMAX, VoIP and IPTV have continued to emerge from the aforementioned markets due to the implementation of infrastructure for various networks, Tsao explained.

In addition, the ratio of revenues generated by the international division to D-Link's total revenues is expected to climb to 50% in 2008, up from 48% estimated for this year, Tsao added.

By market segment, D-Link Japan revenues are likely to hit one billion yen (US$8.95 million) in 2008 from 250 million yen in 2007. D-Link has established business relationships with 10 telecom service operators in Russia, with Russia revenues to see a 50% on-year growth in 2007, Tsao said.

D-Link has three additional marketing units covering its business in the US, Europe and the Greater China area, respectively.
Source: digitimes.com

New consumers want it - now

At the recent Digital Future Summit, Darryn Melrose, the chief executive of digital and direct marketing agency AIM Proximity, urged businesses to wake up to the opportunities provided by a global digital marketplace. Here is a summary of that address:
The accelerating pace of technological change enables consumers to engage with brands and services at the location and time of their convenience. With consumers increasingly in control, the fundamental model of communication has been transformed from interruption to invitation.
Consequently, a new consumer has emerged. Empowered, he or she actively seeks fast, simple, relevant and tailored channels of communication.
Hallmarks of the new consumer
Today, the new consumer is always on, with ADSL, Wi-Fi and 3G making markets available anytime. Time shifting, in the form of personal digital video recorders, allows content to be consumed at the most convenient time; commercials can be skipped, live TV paused and programmes emailed.
Portable media has created place shifting. The mobile phone, and more recently the PDA, provide access to all media, anywhere. And virtual living has also influenced behaviour. Sites like Second Life, with more than 11 million residents, are global markets in their own right, worthy of separate marketing strategies. Self-expression has transformed media consumers into media producers. Advocates and antagonists, the new consumers advertise products and services, as well as judging them.
The five core skills marketers need for online success
AIM Proximity recently took part in a worldwide study by the Proximity group, which involved exploring and gathering a lot of data from consumers' online behaviour. From this, five core skill sets emerged which provide a roadmap for success in the global digital marketplace.
* The consumer is already in control; tailor your content accordingly
Digital technology has turned these consumers into radio station DJs, TV programming directors, editors and even film directors. Media consumption has moved from passive to active - content consumers select and mould to taste.
With so many choices and demands on time, consumers will only have space for those companies that understand them and provide relevant content. Rather than being about "you", your website now needs to be about "me".
* Personalise it
Our research during the past 12 months has indicated a growing confidence in self-expression. With all this media choice, the consumer expects to personalise and adapt experiences, products and services to their own tastes. Amazon has long been one of the leaders; customers are individually welcomed to the site with customised recommendations. At Nike iD, you can now design a pair of boots with your own personal colour combination. Involving customers like this is more likely to create a deeper affinity with your products and services.
* Fulfil the 'now' expectation
Patience has become unfashionable. The consequence of "always on" technology is an "always on consumer". Answers to queries are expected here and now. This has big implications for the way traditional organisations provide service or ensure that their customers can always find them. It also impacts on how they sell. Mobiles are an overlooked medium and I believe that mobile-based customer relationship management is a big area where companies can provide an improved experience.
* Listen to your customers
Organisations that have meaningful online communication with customers are likely to thrive in the future. By seeking customer input into product design and services, as well as providing easy access for feedback, these businesses will gain a competitive edge. Today, few organisations are awake to this opportunity and fewer attempt it.
* Embrace self-expression
Twenty years ago, personal diaries tended to be private, locked in a drawer and read only by the author. Today's equivalent, the blog, is shared with millions on the internet (90 per cent of South Koreans in their 20s now blog). And increasingly, consumers are turning to this unmediated content as a source of news, views and entertainment.
The rise of social networks shows how important self-expression is to consumers. Many companies use firewalls to block social networking sites when they should be embracing the phenomenon. If they are not listening and observing, then they will be cut off from one of the best catalysts for change: their own staff.
How is your new company doing?
The rise of the new digital consumer is fast and, in comparison, few companies in New Zealand have adapted the way they operate. In fact, most of the key consumer expectations and attitudes above are difficult for companies to adapt to.
But you don't have a choice really - meet the need or, ultimately, you will disappear. The key point of this article is that hundreds if not thousands of companies in your sector globally will provide for this consumer need. Make sure you are one of them.
Source: nzherald.co.nz

no longer need landline phone service

I no longer need landline phone service, so total cost was about $100/month

In the beginning, BellSouth ADSL service was great. I connected at an Average 30 times faster than dialup (not 50 times, but hey, I was in heaven). DSL Reports gave me an average 1200/378 over the several times I tested my connection speeds. Equipment arrived in a reasonable amount of time, and I installed everything in about a minute. When problems occurrred, Tech Support treated me like a Retard, but I know they were really just reading Elementary Steps out of a Book for Dummies. Either they don't really know how to solve problems, OR Bellsouth doesn't allow them to actually solve them. Hence, I spent an hour or 2 and gave up with Tech Support, then finally corrected problems on my own. During the year I had the service, there were 2 outages that lasted almost a week each. There were also several week long periods where connectivity could not be maintained for more than a few minutes. Again, Tech Support was useless, and these problems resolved themselves eventually. One time, they tested my phone line and gave me false results, claiming my alarm system was interfering with the service. It cost me $225. to discover that it was not, in fact, interfering. HOORAY, BellSouth Tech!!! * Ohhh, let's not forget the SpyWare that comes with their Connection Manager Software!!! Neither SpyBot S&D nor Ad-Aware can catch this. I found out by reviewing my Task Manager List. BJCFD.exe and CFD.exe and T g c m d.exe are all Adware or Spyware that can safely be uninstalled without hurting performance. THEN....I moved. I ordered the service to move along with me, and it is available in my new home. First, BellSouth made the mistake of getting the wrong address. They delivered new equipment to the wrong location, along with the service even though *no*such*address*exists* (the address is 120 NOT 102 on my street, so I know for a fact there is no such address). When I called to question why I hadn't connected yet, they promised that it would happen before midnight. Midnight came and went, and they made a similar promise for the next 4 days, but I never achieved connectivity, except there was dialup service for one evening. They ultimately cancelled my account against my wishes - dumping crucial e-mails that I was waiting for - and decided I was not a necessary customer. Since all my phone calls are made on a cellphone, and I never really use the landline phone, I decided that $100 a month for ADSL service is a bit steep, so I am moving to Wireless...
Source: broadbandreports.com

MobiFone to offer lightning service

HA NOI — MobiFone has announced it’s using new technology that will allow users to access the internet at four times the current rate.
The mobile phone company said they are boosting their GPRS data network with Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution (EDGE) technology, a first for Viet Nam, which will deliver throughput speeds on the network at the speed of ADSL.
But the new-improved speed will depend on several factors, including network changes, traffic volume, service outages and the weather.
MobiFone’s general director Le Ngoc Minh said the new technology would help the company attract more subscribers, especially high-income users who can afford EDGE-enabled mobile devices.
MobiFone, a subsidiary of the Viet Nam Post and Telecommunications Group (VNPT), has set its revenue target for 2007 at US$1 billion, becoming the most profitable mobile operator in Viet Nam.
Earlier the Ha Noi based firm short listed six international financial firms, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Rothschild and UBS, to take part in bidding to advise MobiFone through its equitisation process, which will include listing shares some time next year.
An initial public offering has been slated to take place early 2008 with VNPT maintaining a one-third stake in the company. Strategic investors would hold another third with the remaining shares sold to the public.
Vodafone, BT, Singtel and Telenor have also voiced interest in claiming MobiFone shares and forming a strategic partnership with the Vietnamese mobile service provider.
MobiFone currently has over 10 million subscribers, representing around 30 per cent of the market. Its main rivals are the military-run Viettel, currently the market leader, and State-run Vinaphone, which is also controlled by VNPT.
Source: vnagency.com.vn

Telefónica O2 sets sights on broadband expansion

MADRID - Telefónica's O2 Europe division said yesterday it is looking to grow in the British and German ADSL broadband markets over the next few years.
O2 Europe Chief Executive Peter Erskine told a news conference in London that Britain is expected to add a further eight million ADSL customers in the coming years and a similar number in Germany. A further eight million users are expected to switch operators in both countries, he added.
Telefónica had 9.6 million ADSL customers as of the end of September, an increase of 32 percent over a year earlier.
Telefónica acquired UK mobile operator O2 last year for EUR 26 billion. It is now integrated into the O2 Europe division, which includes Telefónica's Czech subsidiary Cesky Telecom and its businesses in Britain, Germany, Ireland and Slovakia.

Erskine is to step down as O2 CEO at the end of this year but will retain a seat on Telefónica's board. He said the synergies generated in Telefónica's purchase of O2 amounted to more than the EUR 1.1 billion initially estimated.
O2 Europe accounted for about a quarter of Telefónica consolidated revenues in the first nine months of the year, which amounted to EUR 42 billion. Telefónica's share price closed yesterday down 1.65 percent at EUR 22.70.
Source: expatica.com

Belgacom Combines Fixed and Mobile Internet

Belgacom Group is all set to launch an offer that combines mobile internet and ADSL. With this offer, customers can combine their ADSL service with the new offer Mobile Internet. With this, the customers will have the opportunity to use the internet anywhere, anytime with the mobile internet facility. Customers can use the mobile internet facility on their laptops too via the Proximus 3G network. This allows the customers to order Mobile Internet from Belgacom and make the payment via their Belgacom bill.
Mobile internet acts as a perfect supplement to high-speed Internet at home based on ADSL technology,. Users will connect to the Internet wirelessly on their laptop using a data card or USB modem. This will allow them to access their emails and other information on the internet in a fast and secure way.

Belgacom will launch the new service Mobile Internet for its ADSL customers on December 1. The company claims that the convergence of these products and services will provide more freedom and simplicity for customers, as well as attractive rates. Mobile Internet is being released in a “limited edition” and is available in two versions. The first one is the Mobile Internet 10 hr for €20.95 per month for 10 hrs of surfing in Belgium and the second on is the Mobile Internet No Limit for €34.95 per month for 2GB in Belgium.

The customers of Belgacom can pay for fixed and mobile service offers via a single bill. This allows them to order Mobile Internet from Belgacom and pay for it via their Belgacom bill. Mobile Internet can be combined with ADSL Go, ADSL Plus, VDSL Boost or a professional ADSL solution (e.g. ADSL Pro Compact, ADSL Office). The limited edition provides the Vodafone Mobile Connect data card or USB modem at €59.901 and they are compatible with HSDPA, Edge and GPRS.

The best and worst ADSL ISPs

The recent broadband survey gave users a chance to rate their service providers. Here are the best and worst ISPs in South Africa.
The recent Broadband Survey attracted nearly 1600 broadband subscribers from across the country. As part of the survey ADSL subscribers rated their ISP on issues like price, support and overall satisfaction.
The results showed a significant difference between the ratings for large ISPs and smaller companies. Smaller ISPs received an overall rating of 8.0 out of 10 while the large ISPs only managed a score of 6.2.
Best ISPs
Web Africa, winner of the ISP of the Year award for a second year in a row, was again praised by its subscribers for its great service and easy-to-use systems. The company received an overall score of 8.5 out of 10, leading with a rating of 9.2 for ease of use and 8.9 for billing.
Web Africa however faces stiff competition from other ISPs who are also offering innovative services and competitive prices. Cybersmart was placed second with an average score of 8.2, a mere 0.3 behind WebAfrica. Axxess and Imaginet both scored 8.1, placing them equal third.
Large ISPs
The large ISPs like Verizon Business, MWEB, Vox Telecom and Internet Solutions typically scored far lower than their smaller competitors. This was mainly due to less competitive pricing and a lack of comparable support.
Verizon Business and Vox Telecom were rated tops among the large ISPs with an average subscriber rating of 6.7 each.
Worst ISP
The spot for worst ISP was reserved for Telkom Internet, who with an average score of a mere 4.8 received significantly lower ratings than both larger ISPs and the average rating for all ISPs.
Telkom Internet scored particularly poorly on price and general service & support levels with ratings of 4.0 out of 10 in each of these areas.
Source: mybroadband.co.za

Nokia Siemens Networks Press Releases

Network traffic will grow 100-fold by 2015, driven by bandwidth-hungry services like peer-to-peer file sharing, video and high-definition TV (HDTV). This presents intriguing opportunities – but significant scaling challenges as well.
Nokia Siemens Networks has a rich portfolio of highly efficient and flexible fixed and mobile broadband solutions to meet these challenges, and it will demonstrate them at the Broadband World Forum Americas 2007 in São Paulo, Brazil (booth 305). Nokia Siemens Networks will present solutions that help operators leverage their bandwidth investments and migrate to an all IP/Ethernet network, along with its leading broadband technology and related management and service offerings.
Building out bandwidth with fiberNokia Siemens Networks will show how its customers can flexibly adapt their networks to meet rising bandwidth demand with the help of its industry-leading copper and fiber solutions, which provide support for all access technologies and fiber architectures: fiber to the curb, building, or home. Deployment is optimized with hybrid Multi Service Access Nodes (MSAN), which can transport both optical and electric copper signals. As a result they support ADSL2+, VDSL2, SHDSL, GPON, Ethernet, TDM and POTS/VoIP over the H.248 protocol and Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) and CATV connections.
Melding fixed network and IP servicesTo bring quality of experience to the consumers, Nokia Siemens Networks is bringing two worlds together: the telecommunication and IT world. Convergence between the various network domains is achieved with the aid of network abstraction, enabling converged applications. Therefore the company provides the framework for leading-edge Service Delivery Platforms to consolidate the application platform landscape to reduce OPEX and to build a flexible creation and execution environment for new applications to generate new revenues with the fastest time-to-market. Nokia Siemens Networks provides comprehensive consulting and integration services, an extensive portfolio of architectural components, a broad ecosystem, and has a great track record with jointly more than 30 business-led service delivery projects implemented.
Extending broadband with the mobile WiMAX solutionNokia Siemens Networks’ end-to-end mobile WiMAX solution extends broadband services to areas where fixed broadband is not cost-efficient. This solution delivers a unified stream of voice, data and video over wide distances with wide bandwidth. The mobile WiMAX solution enables reliable connectivity to broadband services for consumers on the go, adding mobility to their user experience. For operators, mobile WiMAX minimizes network deployment and operational costs – thus enabling easier implementation and more efficient rollout – while at the same time offering new ways to enhance both customer satisfaction and profitability.
Leveraging the simplicity of EthernetProvider Backbone Bridging Traffic Engineering (PBB-TE) is the new connection-oriented technology for Carrier Ethernet networks. PBB-TE lets carriers get the full benefits of their deployment of residential (triple play), enterprise VPNs and mobile backhauling services in their telecommunications networks. Carrier Ethernet ensures carrier-grade reliability, manageability, security, and scalability. Carrier Ethernet is rated as particularly cost-effective, significantly reducing equipment prices and network complexity.
Optimizing TV with complementing technologiesIn Sao Paulo, Nokia Siemens Networks will show how to capitalize on TV opportunities through its mobile TV broadcasting solution, which offers transmission of a great number of channels with enhanced video quality, while at the same time reducing operational expenses. Nokia Siemens Networks also demonstrates its preeminent IPTV end-to-end solution, which provides a unique bundling of entertainment and communication via an interactive multimedia platform for highly flexible use.
Adding value with a cutting-edge VoIP offerNokia Siemens Networks will also be demonstrating its VoIP solution for consumers and business customers, integrating business groups across the mobile and fixed domains. The demonstration will incorporate the Nokia E90 and E61 handsets as well as plain POTS phones connected via an IP DSLAM from Nokia Siemens Networks. The VoIP solution enables operators to offer an advanced hosted VoIP solution to any customer no matter what kind of in-house infrastructure the customer is currently using.
Source: techwhack.com

20 Mbps ADSL Solution

An ADSL Channel-Bonding solution was recently launched in South Africa promising speeds of up to 20 Mbps to customers.
Technology Concepts (TC) recently launched an ADSL Channel-Bonding solution where up to 5 ADSL lines can be bonded together to create a high speed link capable of significantly faster upload and download speeds than standard ADSL solutions.
This solution is not the same as ADSL load balancing where traffic is balanced between multiple ADSL lines to increase speed and offer some redundancy. It is rather a system where packets are sent simultaneously over all the ADSL connections and ‘reconfigured’ in the company’s data centre before sending them on to the Internet.
TC currently has servers in the Verizon data centre, but they are planning an additional server set at Internet Solutions for redundancy and a possible improvement in performance.
According to TC Managing Director Wayne de Nobrega this solution, which allows a maximum of five ADSL lines to be channel bonded, promises significantly higher download and upload speeds than current solutions.
De Nobrega says that TC provisions its own backhaul bandwidth – 100 Mbps local bandwidth and 100 Mbps international bandwidth over SAT3 – to ensure the optimal performance of the service.
The TC MD says that current ADSL services typically have bandwidth bottlenecks somewhere along the line which hampers the performance of an ADSL service. This is something which his company tries to alleviate with their offering.
De Nobrega points out that this product is not aimed at the consumer market but rather larger organizations looking at replacing expensive Diginet links.
Actual performance
MyBroadband had the opportunity to take the service for a test drive and the results were encouraging.
A standard Microsoft download using a system of 3 ADSL lines provided a relatively constant download speed of around 8 Mbps (1 000 KB/s).
A web based speed test – using Speedtest.net – produced a download speed of 8 196 Kbps and an upload speed of 854 Kbps. The similar SpeakEasy speed test using United States based servers gave a download speed of 2 353 Kbps and an upload speed of 768 Kbps.
According to De Nobrega the higher upload speeds – which are limited to 384 Kbps on current 4 Mbps connections – is one of the biggest advantages to business clients. De Nobrega points out that businesses often need to send large amounts of data and need a more symmetrical data solution than the current ADSL offerings in the market.
There were however a few tests that did not produce very impressive results. These included downloads from Apple.com and even the SAIX servers which generally ranged between 2 000 Kbps and 4 000 Kbps. Other local and international downloads, using a multi-threaded download manager and a 4 line ADSL solution, however showed speeds of close to 10 Mbps.
Streaming multiple videos from international servers at 1.5 Mbps did not pose any problem and multiple YouTube videos could be streamed without ever having to buffer.
Latency on the system was fair when accessing local servers and good when pinging international servers.
The average latency to Google.com was 226 ms while BBC was slightly better at an average of 205 ms. The US based Chessclub.com however produced a higher average of 349 ms.
Local ping times ranged between 51 ms for IOL and 46 ms to MyADSL. The ping time accessing a server in the same data centre as the TC point-of-presence was on average 20 ms.
Price
The price for the system is significantly higher than standard ADSL offerings, but De Nobrega points out that this product is definitely not aimed at home or SOHO owners. It targets larger companies who want to reduce their Diginet expenses.
A 2 port system, which channel-bonds two 4 Mbps ADSL lines, costs R1 450-00 per month excluding VAT. This increases to R 1 700-00 for 3 ports, R 2 150-00 for 4 ports and R 2 400-00 for the top-of-the-range 5 port solution.
Users of this system must also purchase Internet bandwidth from TC, and prices range from R 1 340-00 (ex VAT) for 10 GB to R 11 260-00 (ex VAT) for 100 GB.
A cheaper local-only solution, aimed at inter-branch connectivity, is also available at R 1 990-00 (ex VAT) for 100 GB. This traffic is however measured at both ends of the solution which gives an effective monthly usage of only 50 GB.
The users will still have to factor in the cost of the multiple ADSL lines to Telkom which costs around R 525-00 per month per line if the compulsory analogue line rental charge is included.
A 20 Mbps system, which makes use of five 4 Mbps ADSL lines, will therefore amount to a cost of R 2 624-50 to Telkom and R 2 736-00 to TC. This cost excludes bandwidth charges ranging from just over R 1 000-00 to over R 10 000-00 depending on usage.
De Nobrega says that while the initial cost may seem high when compared to a standard ADSL service, it is far cheaper than current Diginet solutions which many companies are using. Source: mybroadband.co.za

Another way to do DSL line bonding? Should surprise BT

Quick phone call from an old friend of an old friend, saying that he thinks he's found a way of speeding up your internet connection: "We have found a way of doing data bonding, in software!" - and they call it SharedBand.

He promises more details in the post, but apparently, he's heard all about the Firebrick, which is the technique I use here at NewsWireless Tangles.

What the Firebrick technique uses, is a specially designed micro-firewall (from Watchfront) which lets you connect up to four ADSL lines into a single data pipe. It takes two Firebricks, with all four lines coming into the wall, and being bonded together as a single Ethernet connection.

To make this work, of course, you have to feed a single Internet connection into the other end. Watchfront does that: they provide standard ISP services. In their network headquarters, they have another Firebrick. Four outgoing ADSL lines (yours) are fed by the Firebrick; the packets are split up and shared out. And then the other firebrick, at your offices, puts them all back into the right order.

I've explained this trick to any number of people, and without exception, they've all patiently and condescendingly explained to me "it doesn't work like that, Guy!" and assured me I've been taken for a ride. "It can't make it any faster," they say. "It probably slows things down."
No, actually, it doesn't. It works wonderfully, and means a special advantage for uploading, because that's where ADSL always falls down. But with four ADSL lines, you get leased-line upload speeds. And on top of that, any of the lines can go dead, without your connection faltering.

So Sharedband sounds like a great idea, because, from initial information, it's the same thing but without needing the special purpose-built firewall; it works by reprogramming your ADSL modem/router.

More information when we get it. Web site at http://www.sharedband.com/ and make sure you type it in. I was told where it was, and, mishearing, went straight to shedband.com - which is entirely a different thing.

Initial reports say BT will be involved in marketing this. That, I have to say, I will need to see...
Source: newswireless.net

Christmas is on its way, let the REIN fall

REIN stands for, Random Electrical Impulse Noise, and it is very often the reason for those seemingly random disconnects on your ADSL connection.

This is the second Christmas since rate adaptive products from LLU providers and BT Wholesale have been used by millions of people in the UK which means the number of people who may see yet more disconnects over the Christmas period is a lot higher than in the past.

What many people may not know is that while a phone line will happily run a 0.5Mbps connection in the face of almost any form of random noise, run the same line at the maximum it will support and the safety margin decreases to the point that something as simple as a set of Christmas lights blinking on and off may be enough to cause disconnects, or slower speeds than previously experienced.

The moral is that if your ADSL starts to run slow and your Christmas lights are on, try switching them off and restart the ADSL modem to see if things improve. If they do, consider moving the Christmas lights. Things to avoid are running Christmas lights close to the telephone wiring, or plugging power transformers into the same power strip as an ADSL modem. It may actually be your neighbours lights that are the problem, so some delicate discussions could be required. If they have ADSL themselves, they may welcome some help in figuring out what the problem is.

In cases where the disconnects are not resolved by switching things off or moving it, then ensuring the telephone wiring inside your property is not picking up more noise than it needs to is a good idea. The simplest and fastest solution is to disconnect the ring wire on all your extensions and master socket. If you don't mind waiting for the postman to deliver it, fitting a dedicated ADSL faceplate to the master socket is a good project to keep you out of the shops. One final word, if you are using a flat ribbon type cable for connecting your ADSL modem, we would advise changing this for a cable that has twisted pairs. Twisted pair cabling is what BT use for the cable to your home and for BT installed extensions (unless your wiring is very old) and it helps to make the ADSL signal more immune to noise.
Source: thinkbroadband.com

Biggest ADSL downloader

Internet Solutions has been offering uncapped ADSL accounts for a long time. We take a look at the biggest downloaders on their network.
Speaking at the recent MyADSL Broadband Conference hosted at Vodaworld, Internet Solutions’ General Manager for Internet Access, Alan Bacher, gave an overview of the top bandwidth users during September 2007.
The biggest downloader for September, on an uncapped 1 Mbps connection, used a combined total of 332 GB during the month. This consisted of 65 GB of uploaded data and 267 GB of downloaded data – close to the theoretical limit of a possible 332 GB of downloads on a 1 Mbps connection.
If this user had to pay per-GB rates for his data on the SAIX network it would have cost him in the region of R 18 000 at the discounted rate of R 55-00 per GB.
The top 10 users, which range between 332 GB and 232 GB per month, used a combined total of 2.69 TB during September. These users on average uploaded 46 GB per month and downloaded 224 GB per month.
The biggest downloader of them all
These users are however not the record holder, according to IS they have one individual who takes the cake. One of their subscribers – who was not limited to a 1 Mbps connection speed - previously downloaded more than 1 Terabyte of data in a single calendar month.
This can obviously put a tremendous amount of strain on any network, but what the IS engineers found more interesting was how it was possible for a single user to download that much information in a single month.
It emerged that this subscriber had 40 concurrent active connections to newsgroups open at any given time – downloading data for the full duration of the month. The 1 TB monthly download amount came very close to the theoretical limit of what is possible on a 4 Mbps ADSL connection.
Average monthly usage
Bacher revealed the interesting statistic that the majority of their uncapped users – on both their Business ADSL 512kbps & 1024kbps offering and their Business ADSL Fibre 512kbps & 1024kbps services – use less than 20 GB of data per month.
Only a small portion of their uncapped service subscriber base – typically under 10% - exceeds the 50 GB monthly usage limit.
Source: mybroadband.co.za

Gotalk Attacks Engin With VoIP Package

Aussie VoIP provider, Gotalk, is launching a “direct Engin VoIP attack” in an attempt to cash-in on struggling VoIP provider Engin’s continuing bad luck.
With Engin poised to lose market share following a particularly gruesome year in which the company lost two CEOs, culled 29 staff, discontinued its plans to offer ADSL2+ and was forced to sell wireless internet provider Unwired after the acquisition proved too costly, Gotalk is ramping up its marketing and offering more call convenience from its Aussie Pack and World Pack VoIP plans.
The World Pack now allows customers to call 110 destinations which includes 30 countries for free, 30 countries for 20c per call, and 50 countries for 50c per call, for $9.95 per month when combined with the Aussie Pack or $14.95 per month alone.
"With Engin announcing drastic staff cuts and its abandoning of broadband ADSL, we believe their 77,000 customer base in particular is vulnerable and ready to move to a more attractive service provider – and we believe that with the plans we are announcing – plus the fact that gotalk already has one of the most cost effective ADSL service in Australia, we are confident gotalk is the one they will choose," said Gotalk CEO, Steve Picton.
When combined with Gotalk's ‘goVoIP Aussie Pack', the World Pack allows customers to make 100 calls, or talk for 3000 minutes each month.
Gotalk has also launched the ‘Biz World Pack', which includes all the same countries but comes with 200 calls, or 5000 minutes each month for $19.95 – pitched at business users.
Source: smarthouse.com.au

How far away is mobile internet?

Internet connection, especially broadband connection, is a pretty fragmented experience in India. Every month, for a couple of days, for some inexplicable reason, my broadband connection goes down. I use the word inexplicable because I have a running list of what might have brought the broadband down. This list ranges from late bill payment to power surges that screw up the ADSL router to other issues that we discover once we start to troubleshoot. When my broadband is on the blink I often yearn for an alternate mode of connecting to the net since the pace of my work slows down.
Yes, there is the latest HTC smartphone of my husband’s that I borrow to check my emails, and yes, there is my CDMA phone that I do connect at times and yes, there are the cyber cafes that I can pop into to do my work. These are workarounds and at times not available. For instance, my CDMA software at times does not work and that means no Internet connection. Apparently, while I and others in India have been struggling to get a reliable broadband connection, there have been a bunch of people working on harnessing the mobile network infrastructure to provide Internet connection. I discovered this initiative while on a recent visit to Macau to attend the GSMA Asia Mobile Congress.
Is there a way to combine the existing Global System of Mobile Communication (GSM) plus the notebook and laptop to provide an instant connected experience? That is precisely what GSMA, a global trade association representing over 700 GSM mobile operators around the world, and Microsoft have been working on for a while now. I saw a demo of the mobile broadband PC and was quite intrigued by the potential of this device and could picture myself using it if this became available in India. The way it works is you pop in your GSM sim card from your mobile operator on the back of the notebook and viola! you can surf the Internet. While I make it sound easy, it requires a lot of work to put together such a device.
GSM and Microsoft Corp commissioned an extensive research to discover the market potential for mobile broadband PCs and laptops. Their findings revealed that there is a mass market for mobile broadband PC/laptop in the $500-$1200 range of notebooks and laptops, which customers can use in multiple locations. It is probably not surprising that their research findings also revealed that users in the middle and lower strata of the socio-economic structure were more likely to buy a PC rather than a PDA or a smartphone for Internet access.
The researchers had people use a prototype of the mobile broadband PC and discovered that users actually liked the ability to connect to the Internet once their laptops or PCs were turned on. So there is no more futzing around with a datacard or the USB cable or a wireless router to connect to the Internet. Instead, you power on your mobile broadband laptop or PCs and you are ready to go.
Another research finding that they unearthed during the trial of the mobile broadband PC was that users used it for two primary reasons: communication and entertainment. Now, what is interesting is that these users were located in diverse places like Ireland, Turkey, and Thailand among others and yet, these users exhibited similar traits on how they used the device. I wonder how these findings will shape the offerings from various telco operators, especially when it comes to price point for data.
Can you go out and buy such a PC right now? Not yet. The mobile broadband PC will be out early next year. Will it be available in India? We will have to wait and find out. Will it work in India even though we don’t have 3GSM network? I understand that it can work with the existing 2G network in India using their EDGE service.
So, it seems like in a few months time I might have access to an alternate and reliable way of accessing the Internet in India, but I have a lot of unanswered questions. What will be the speed of my Internet connection? How much will I have to fork out to my mobile operators to use their network to surf the Internet? Since there is no 3G network in India, can I use my data and voice at the same time? I don’t have answers but hope to get them in the next few months. So, stay tuned.
Source: financialexpress.com