1-Meg Modem

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The 1-Meg Modem is a DSL modem created by Nortel which conforms to the ADSL Lite standard. ^[1]

[edit] Technical Details

The 1-Meg Modem can be deployed up to 18,000 feet from the central office providing a downstream rate of 960 kilobits per second (kbit/s) and a maximum upstream rate of 120 kbit/s over 24 gauge wire. The second generation could achieve a transfer rate of 1280 kbit/s downstream and 320 kbit/s upstream.^[2] Unlike most ADSL modems which use ATM virtual circuits to carry data the 1-Meg Modem uses Ethernet which makes the product easy for most residential users to install themselves but ill suited for applications that require quality of service to be enforced. At the telephone company switch the installation was relatively simple provided the switch was a Nortel DMS Switch. ^[3] The customer's line card must be swapped with a line card that supported the 1-Meg Modem and also a card must be added to the drawer that would manage all data from the 1-Meg Modem cards in the drawer.

[edit] History

At the time the modem was released telephone companies were fearing competition from cable modems however current DSL technology was too costly for wide deployment. By October 1998 Nortel claimed more than $1 billion in sales which, in their words, had "the potential for more than one million end-user lines." ^[4] It was originally tested at Northern Illinois University dormitories and worked well even though the school's wiring was relatively old. ^{[5] [6]}

[edit] References

1. ^ Highspeed Alternatives—DSL. ModemHelp.Org. Retrieved on August 6, 2006.
2. ^ Nortel 1-Meg Modem: Next Generation Data Access (PDF). Nortel Networks (July 1998). Retrieved on June 23, 2006.
3. ^ LaBarba, Liane H. (April 9, 2001). DSL Breaks the Rural Barrier. Telephony Online. Retrieved on August 6, 2006.
4. ^ Nortel Networks (October 21, 1998). Nortel Networks Expands 1-Meg Modem CPE Portfolio. Press release.
5. ^ Carter, Wayne (October 20, 1997). Nortel fills gap between analog, DSL: New 1-Meg Modem promises affordable high-speed access. Telephony Online. Retrieved on August 6, 2006.
6. ^ Austen, Ian (April 30, 1998). Modem 'Lite' Offers Fast Web Access at Low Rates. The New York Times.