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AlphaStar and Mphase technologies have teamed up to offer mPhase
Television, a joint venture to create a global broadband television
distribution network. The network provides telcos worldwide with
interactive television and video content via a hybrid model of satellites
and standard copper telephone wire. The network is the first pioneering
effort of its kind to create a new distribution medium to allow phone
companies to compete with cable and satellite TV networks. The first
client for this unique service will be Hart Telephone, a local exchange
carrier located in Hartwell, Georgia. (Read the Press
Release).
Progress reports from Hartwell, Georgia, indicate
that Beta tests are going well and that the system is delivering all that
was promised. The mPhase XDSL transceiver is providing data throughput 50
times faster than ISDN, and more than 200 times faster than 28.8K Internet
connections. Recently, the Hart Telephone/mPhase project announced 99
channels of MPEG2 digital video was being transmitted through use of the
TRAVERSER system. DUE DILIGENCE The mPhase
TRAVERSER allows telephone companies to simultaneously deliver
1Mbps of high speed Internet access, up to 400 channels of digital
television programming, and traditional voice service over existing loop
infrastructure. XDSL provides the most economical and practical
solution for both service providers and consumers to the current
constraints of delivering broadband services.
Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) technology allows telephone
companies to provide high speed Internet access and maximize the potential
of installed telephone lines. XDSL offers a specific type of DSL
called Rate Adaptive Digital Subscriber Line (RADSL), allowing
high speed data transmission at speeds of over 6 Mbps downstream and up
to 1 Mbps upstream. This not only allows for increasing data
throughput more than 200 times faster than a 28.8 K Internet
connections but provides a strong return path that has very positive
implications for the prospects for numerous interactive features in the
future.
What makes mPhase's DSL unique is its simultaneous
delivery of high speed Internet access, digital video, and telephone
service over an existing telephone line on an unshared platform. And
because the transmission speed is rate adaptive, mPhase's DSL
adjusts to the length and signal quality of the telephone line,
automatically selecting the highest practical operating speed. XDSL
offers the only technology capable of transporting voice, digital
television programming and data over the existing telephone infrastructure
without impeding voice traffic or degrading the quality of service.
The TRAVERSER DVDDS (Digital Video and Data Delivery Services)
can be installed at the home and telco central office within hours
compared to lengthy lead times associated with laying fiber or upgrading
the HFC architecture. The TRAVERSER DVDDS provides an attractive
opportunity by maximizing the value per line of the existing copper
infrastructure. With the mPhase TRAVERSER, the telco can
generate additional revenue from high speed Internet data access and
digital television transmissions.
The transmission of digital television over copper wire can benefit areas
with low cable penetration, and also provide an alternative to cable TV
and DBS. The TRAVERSER DVDDS will ultimately offer 400
channels, compared to an average 59 channels offered by CATV and 175
channels offered by DBS.
(For a diagram and simplified explanation of how the TRAVERSER
works)
Digital systems engineering and design is conducted by Georgia Tech
Research Institute; the production version of the TRAVERSER will
utilize IBM’s latest MPEG2 decoder chip, and the prototype Intelligent
Network Interface (a next generation set top box) and related central
office equipment will be manufactured under contract by Flextronics.
The TRAVERSER is currently in testing in Hartwell, Ga (where it
was recently announced that 99 channels of MPEG2 digital video is being
transmitted).; Ulysses, KN; and Atlanta, GA. It will be available
nationwide to telcos for purchase in April for second and third quarter
delivery.
In addition to the TRAVERSER, mPhase is developing
complementary products that it hopes will not only provide cash flow, but
will help to establish its name and reputation in the in marketplace, thus
perhaps increasing more rapidly the number of potential TRAVERSER
customers. The POTS Splitter Shelf is the first major component
to be introduced. It is used in separation of data and voice signals from
the telco central office to the customer’s home. (This is a frequent
problem for the telcos since data feeds often interfere with voice service
when sent via the same phone line). In December, the company announced
that Telecordia (formerly Bellcore), a leading telecommunications
equipment company, had tested it against a requirements protocol that
certified it as providing performance equal to comparable products.
However, XDSL’s product is distinct in that it provides the
highest port density in the marketplace (144 vs. the more standard 96),
which enables maximum efficiency while utilizing a much smaller amount of
valuable ‘real estate’ at the central office with its 3-rack unit
configuration.
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