[NEWS] Telcos Bundle ADSL Modems

[Buck]

Australian IT

Telcos Bundle ADSL Modems
James Riley
JULY 24, 2003

"Both Telstra and Optus confirmed they were in discussion with several personal computer manufacturers, including PC giant Dell, hoping to offer a broadband internet option with every PC sold."

"Both are keen to convince PC makers to start manufacturing machines with DSL or cable broadband modems built in."

"Gartner research vice-president Geoff Johnson said bundled broadband services might not be the windfall that Telstra and Optus were hoping for. "This will only be incremental to the business," Mr Johnson said, adding that the companies would have greater success in attracting customers by lowering prices and introducing cap-free tariff plans."

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It would be interesting to service one of these systems with the built in modem, especially the ones with a cable modem. What happens when the modem fails? Is it integrated onto the motherboard, or is it put in as an adapter card? How much room will it take up? How much will it add to the cost of the PC? I particularly like the words of Mr. Geoff Johnson.

 

[Pradeep]

I would imagine that it would be a PCI card. Just not enough room on mobos these days for such integration. Also there is not wide availability of ADSL in Aus, still only in higher density populations. And the cost is high/DL cap is low.

 

[Mercutio]

I think you might be wrong. Single-chip ADSL "modems" were announced as available about two years ago. I imagine they probably work on the winmodem principle.

I can't understand having a modem or broadband access device of any kind built into a motherboard. That's intensely stupid. More people than not who buy such boards aren't going to use that feature (unlike something like sound or a NIC, where the onboard stuff largely *is* good enough), and yeah, the devices die all the time.

 

[Pradeep]

Can you imagine the confusion when Joe 6pak plugs his dial up phone line into the ADSL modular port on the mobo, and it doesn't work? Dell's Indian subcontinent support will be working overtime. Unless you could have the one port work as both a dial up modem and an ADSL connection?

I'm still waiting for IDSL for >20,000 feet from the CO. Using Verizon wireless data is starting to look better and better every day.

 

[Tea]

I can't understand having a modem or broadband access device of any kind built into a motherboard. That's intensely stupid.

Quite rightl, Merc. Indeed, it's so intensely stupid that I can't imagine that any computer maker would be moronic enough to go for it.

Except Compaq, of course.

And Dell.

And Hewlett-Packard.

And ...... well ... most of them, actually.

You want intensely stupid, Compaq-HP have any amount of it.

 

[Buck]

And Hewlett-Packard.

Isn’t there some sort of legal accountability for using that phrase these days? Didn’t they officially switch to the HP acronym for the name of their mental institution, I mean corporation? Flog the monkey!

 

[zx]

I think you might be wrong. Single-chip ADSL "modems" were announced as available about two years ago. I imagine they probably work on the winmodem principle.

I can't understand having a modem or broadband access device of any kind built into a motherboard. That's intensely stupid. More people than not who buy such boards aren't going to use that feature (unlike something like sound or a NIC, where the onboard stuff largely *is* good enough), and yeah, the devices die all the time.

Yet another chip that draws processing power away from these poor celerons!

That's why they make processors that are faster than what people need. Can we imagine a PC where the processor is the only chip in the box? I don't know if such thing exists...

 

[blakerwry]

where would the cheap winmodem fit in?