LinuxSA Mailing list archives

  From: Mark Newton <newton@atdot.dotat.org>
  To  : Richard Walford <rwalford@picknowl.com.au>
  Date: Sun, 26 Nov 2000 12:44:08 +1030

Re: ADSL Enabled Exchange Areas: Updated 20/11/2000

On Sun, Nov 26, 2000 at 11:52:58AM +1030, Richard Walford wrote:

 > Anyway, enough of the trivia, the only real limiting factor in Telstra's
 > network these days is the local loop.  From the originating exchange card to
 > the terminating exchange card Telstra carry all voice calls over a 64K
 > digital channel.  Thus, there is no reason (other than marketing/product
 > management and the grab for cash) that Telstra could not offer a base rate
 > ISDN service as it's base level PSTN offering. 

They have -- It's called OnRamp Home Highway;  local voice calls (i.e.:
telephone, modem, fax, whatever) are 18c, monthly rental isn't that much
more expensive than two phone lines (you get two B channels with it, so
you can be using it with two devices at a time), and data calls (i.e:
raw access to 64k bitstreams via an NT1 interface) are supported... at
about a buck an hour.

If you buy an ISDN card for your Linux box, you can place 64k calls through
the NT1 interface which are tagged as "voice" calls (i.e.: 18c).  This
effectively gives you a flat rate 36c 128kbps call to ISPs which support it.

ISDN cards are about $200 - $300, not much more expensive than a modem.
There's an Australian mob whose name has temporarily escaped me, but who
will no doubt be plugged by other list denizens, who make a card with
Linux and FreeBSD drivers.  Alternatively, Cisco ISDN routers with the
latest revisions of IOS support Data-over-Voice (DoV) as well.

 > In doing so the need for V90
 > modem technology would basically disappear along with all the quirks and
 > problems that modem technology brings with it.

Yup - You just need to fool Telstra into thinking you're making voice
calls so they won't extort $1/hour out of you.

Thankfully, fooling Telstra in that way is actually part of the ISDN 
protocol.  It's said that the reason OnRamp Home Highway is so cheap
is so Telstra won't look completely insane when they charge $90 per
month for ADSL, and $300 per month for an ISDN connection which gives
you 10% of the capacity.

   - mark

--------------------------------------------------------------------
I tried an internal modem,                    newton@atdot.dotat.org
     but it hurt when I walked.                          Mark Newton
----- Voice: +61-4-1620-2223 ------------- Fax: +61-8-82231777 -----

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