July 1998

ISDN: The Right Bandwidth For Business

BY PETER GEIER

Networks have revolutionized the way business is conducted. In addition to allowing for shared resources and improved communication, network computing has expanded the reach of corporate resources from the home office to hotel rooms and airport clubs - virtually anywhere a telephone connection exists. Expanding use of the Internet for telephony also promises great rewards for telecommuters and the SOHO market. The value of these resources, however, is only as good as the connection that provides access to the end user.

Much discussion has ensued in recent months over the most effective method for remote access to networks and the Internet, including a lively debate over the merits of xDSL, 56K modems, and cable modems. Throughout this debate, Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) has often been described as difficult to install, expensive, and inaccessible. This may have been valid in the past before the technology and infrastructure had matured, but telcos have since gained more experience with ISDN and have improved service significantly. Contrary to several current myths downgrading the value of ISDN, it is the only dial-up technology that provides the speed, functionality, and cost-efficiency needed to duplicate the office environment - and the availability to reach the mainstream of American business.

WHAT IS ISDN?
ISDN stands for Integrated Services Digital Network. Integrated Services refers to ISDN's ability to deliver two simultaneous connections, in any combination of data, voice, video, and fax - over a single line. Multiple devices can be attached to the line, and used as needed. The Digital in ISDN refers to its purely digital transmission, as opposed to the analog transmission of plain old telephone service (POTS). When you connect with ISDN, there is no analog conversion. ISDN transmits data digitally, resulting in a very clear transmission. Network refers to the fact that ISDN is not simply a point-to-point solution like a leased line, xDSL, or cable modem. ISDN networks extend from the local telephone exchange to the remote user and include all of the telecommunications and switching equipment in between. When you have ISDN, you can make connections throughout the world to other ISDN equipment without having to share bandwidth.

ISDN: TOTAL SOLUTION, SMALL PACKAGE
Much of ISDN's value comes from the fact that it is an integrated telephony solution - not just limited to the Internet. Individuals still use analog connections for local calls, crucial long-distance calls, and fax transmissions. ISDN allows them to use the same line and modem for both their telephony and Internet access needs. With ISDN's 128 Kbps bandwidth, the new generation of video conferencing equipment is of such a good quality that it is coming to the corporate desktop. All this is the Integrated in ISDN and another reason why ISDN is perfect for the home office market.

With ISDN's integrated telephony features, users are able to not only use their ISDN line for a high-speed digital connection to the Internet or corporate LAN, but also as a way to initiate and receive telephone calls and faxes over the same ISDN line. ISDN provides POTS service over the digital ISDN connection and allows users to place phone calls with the broadcast quality connection of a digital interface. Also, ISDN provides advanced calling features found on telephones today, including call waiting, caller ID, three-way (conference) calling, and call forwarding.

An extremely versatile feature of ISDN is its ability to provide Internet and analog connectivity at the same time. One B-channel can be used to connect to the Internet while the other is used to send or receive a fax or telephone call. All told, the fully integrated suite of telecommunications options delivered by ISDN makes it not only ideal for voice over IP but as a powerful telephony/all-round solution for SOHOs and consumers, all with a single ISDN line and modem.

AO/DI - A DYNAMIC SOLUTION
ISDN is a truly dynamic dial-up technology. A new innovation called Always On/Dynamic ISDN (AO/DI) serves not only the needs of telephony applications, but also the varied needs of the SOHO market and infrastructure for Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and telcos.

Much of the need for AO/DI originates from a "bandwidth bottleneck" that has emerged in the past year due to increased numbers of users and the impact of flat fees from ISPs on existing infrastructure. Anyone familiar with America Online's dilemma knows that flat fees encourage people to stay online for longer periods of time, a condition known as "nailing up" phone lines. Neither telcos nor ISPs are equipped to handle this expensive type of continuous usage. This has led to an infrastructure crisis for both the telco and ISP, not to mention a decrease in available service to the end user. With AO/DI, customer satisfaction will increase dramatically as users will, instead of a busy signal, (at worst case) receive a lower bandwidth connection. Since its introduction, several ISPs and corporations have shown significant interest in this technology.

AO/DI makes use of the three segments that comprise an ISDN line: Two 64 Kbps B-channels and one 9.6 Kbps X.25 D-channel. As for Internet telephony applications, AO/DI makes voice over IP as easy to use as an analog telephone. AO/DI provides ISDN users with a low-cost, continuous 9600 baud connection to the Internet, notifying them when a call is coming through without the user having to pay the high tariffs associated with nailing up a traditional high-bandwidth connection. Let's face it, Internet telephony is of limited use if the user is not connected all the time. AO/DI provides this capability.

By allocating only the amount of bandwidth needed for a given task, and releasing unneeded bandwidth automatically, AO/DI allows users to nail-up a connection all day using only the D-channel, which makes use of the low cost X.25 packet-switched network. This means that if a user is on the Internet using both B-channels (at 128 Kbps) and someone dials the user with a telephone call or fax, the ISDN modem will bump the Internet connection to one B-channel (64 Kbps) and receive the fax on the other B-channel. Once the fax is terminated, the Internet connection resumes its full two-B-channel connection of 128 Kbps. Using AO/DI, it can even handle 3 calls simultaneously using both B-channels for a voice or fax call while maintaining the data connection temporarily over the D-channel. Most users will find that D-channel capacity is sufficient for most low-bandwidth applications such as e-mail.

AO/DI promises many advantages to telcos, ISPs, and remote access users. Telcos can increase capacity without investing in additional equipment. ISPs can support more customers over existing B-channels and provide lower ISDN access rates, benefiting the mobile PC user, while at the same time enabling ISPs to operate more efficiently and profitably. Remote access users save on metering charges and can use push technology without activating a B-channel. And, most important to telecommuters, AO/DI allows users to conduct true multitasking with the ability to send a fax, surf the Internet, and make a phone call at the same time.

ISDN AVAILABILITY
To be effective, a communications solution must be readily available. Unlike some remote access methods that are yet to achieve nationwide penetration, ISDN has matured significantly and is available throughout most of the United States and Canada. In fact, the International Data Corporation estimates that ISDN installations will grow from one million in 1996 to over four million in the year 2000. This follows the pattern of proliferation of ISDN that has occurred on a global scale, having become the de facto communications standard in Europe and Japan. With this proliferation comes improved ease in ordering ISDN. Whereas in past years, qualified technicians were hard to come by, ISDN is now readily available throughout most of the United States and will soon be as easy to order as a pizza.

With new standards supported by the North American ISDN Users Forum (NIUF), telecommunications companies are in the process of adopting a common ordering form. This form will standardize ISDN choices throughout the U.S., and simplify the ordering process for both the user and telco - saving time and expense as well as leading to increased growth. With a new reduced set of ISDN ordering codes (IOC) and EZ-ISDN, a set of packages with the most-used features and which is compatible with over 80 percent of all ISDN equipment on the market, ordering ISDN in America has improved significantly.

EASE-OF-USE
Ease-of-use is critical to any technology, and absolutely essential when installing a remote access solution. When ISDN first appeared in North America, users were plagued with a variety of technical hurdles. The principle reason for these issues originates from the need to configure an ISDN device's SPIDs, numbers that are provided by the telco to identify the ISDN device to the ISDN line. SPIDs - service profile identifiers - are only needed in North America, and are the root of many inconveniences in configuring an ISDN device. Consequently, the term has come to be referred to (half-jokingly) as Severe Pain In Deployment.

This paradigm has changed with the advent of enabling technologies like Auto-SPID and Auto-Switch; both supported by industry advocates like Vendors ISDN Association (VIA) that counts among its members over 26 major manufacturers. Auto-Switch detection automatically analyzes the protocol for each telecom provider's switches. Auto-SPID download is a feature where the ISDN device and the telco's digital switch negotiate the SPID and directory numbers without any interaction on the part of the user.

ISDN PRICING
Pricing has always been among the top concerns over the implementation of ISDN. Like all products in a market economy, prices for ISDN typically depend on supply and demand. As the technology matures and demand increases, ISDN is becoming increasingly affordable, in regard to both equipment and line costs. Line costs in particular have varied from region to region, depending upon the policies of each telecommunications company. However, as price structures continue to become more uniform, users can in many areas maintain a two-B-channel ISDN line for less than the cost of two analog lines - all the time receiving more than twice the performance and functionality of analog devices.

Competing Technologies
So how does ISDN stand up to other bandwidths? One technology that has received a great deal of attention recently is xDSL. DSL is limited to only Internet use with very limited voice capability (much lower bandwidth), standards are not yet finalized, and deployment is limited. 56K has also received attention, particularly with the concept of bonded modems to produce 112 Kbps bandwidth. The problem with 56K, however, is that users can rarely get more than 44 Kbps when using the modem. And as far as cable modems are concerned, they are not universally available and where they are installed, are used as a shared bandwidth. For this technology to become truly useful, companies need to continue installing bi-directional switches (otherwise you still need ISDN or a modem to upload data).

TECHNOLOGY FOR THE FUTURE?

After all the dust settles, which technology will replace POTS for high-speed dial-up applications? The answer lies not in one technology, but in many. In today's marketplace, there are different needs for different applications. While technologies including cable and 56K may be appropriate for casual surfing of the Internet, only versatile, flexible technologies like ISDN will provide the wide range of functionality needed for consumers, telecommuters, and the SOHO market.

Peter Geier is ISDN marketing manager (Americas) for Eicon Technology Corporation, a worldwide provider of remote access solutions for personal computers. The company develops, markets, and supports hardware and software products for connecting PCs to the Internet, corporate networks, and host computers. The products are sold in more than 70 countries through an extensive distribution network. Eicon Technology shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange and the Montreal Exchange under the symbol EIC. For more information on the company's products and services, visit Eicon's Web site at www.eicon.com.