1-Meg Modem Explained

The 1-Meg Modem in telecommunications was[1] a DSL modem created by Nortel which conforms to the ADSL Lite standard.[2] The 1-Meg Modem was the first xDSL modem to gain approval and registration under FCC Part 68 Rules.[3]

History

At the time the modem was released on August 8, 1997,[4] telephone companies were fearing competition from cable modems. However, early 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."[5] The modems were originally tested at Northern Illinois University dormitories and worked well even though the school's wiring was relatively old.[6] [7]

Description

The 1-Meg Modem can be deployed up to 18000feet from the central office providing a downstream bit 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.[8] Unlike most ADSL modems which use Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) virtual circuits to carry data, the 1-Meg Modem used 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 when the switch was a Nortel DMS Switch.[9] 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.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 1 Meg Modem End of Life . https://web.archive.org/web/20110714194643/http://support.nortel.com/go/main.jsp?cscat=OVERVIEW&poid=8061 . July 14, 2011 . dead . April 20, 2009 . mdy-all.
  2. Web site: Highspeed Alternatives—DSL . August 6, 2006 . ModemHelp.Org . https://web.archive.org/web/20060718223710/http://modemhelp.org/dsl.html. July 18, 2006 .
  3. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb5243/is_199909/ai_n20147992/ NORTEL NETWORKS: Nortel Networks' 1-Meg Modem re receives FCC Part 68 Rules approval and registration
  4. Web site: Nortel (Northern Telecom) Launches Mass-Market High-Speed Internet Solution. www.prnewswire.com. en. 2017-03-13.
  5. Nortel Networks . October 21, 1998 . Nortel Networks Expands 1-Meg Modem CPE Portfolio . October 18, 2006 .
  6. Web site: Carter . Wayne . October 20, 1997 . Nortel fills gap between analog, DSL: New 1-Meg Modem promises affordable high-speed access . Telephony Online . August 6, 2006 .
  7. Web site: Austen . Ian . April 30, 1998 . Modem 'Lite' Offers Fast Web Access at Low Rates . The New York Times . May 23, 2008 .
  8. Web site: Nortel Networks . July 1998 . Nortel 1-Meg Modem: Next Generation Data Access . June 23, 2006 . PDF . https://web.archive.org/web/20060503180538/http://www.nortel.com/products/01/dms-10/fpg/collateral/1mmpsi.pdf . May 3, 2006 . dead . mdy-all .
  9. Web site: LaBarba . Liane H. . April 9, 2001 . DSL Breaks the Rural Barrier . Telephony Online. August 6, 2006 .