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The telephone company must choose from
among three ways to implement DSLAM
functions in COs and remote sites:
- Upgrade (replace with new equipment from the
same vendor) the existing voice-line cards and their mountings. The
new equipment will support both voice and DSL, and will have new uplink
arrangements for the data traffic.
- Replace the existing voice-line cards
and their mountings with equipment from a different vendor. These, too,
will support both voice and DSL data.
- Add DSLAMs, with built-in or separate splitters
to deliver the voice traffic to the existing voice-line cards, and the
DSL traffic to the new DSLAM.
(top, next column)
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The telco must also decide how involved it will be in providing,
installing and owning the CPE (DSL modems). A network with all equipment
from one vendor would be the simplest to support, but DSL CPE is fast
becoming a commodity that users will be able to obtain from many sources.
At least one computer vendor (Compaq) has already started to offer DSL
modems on PCI cards as an option. A key factor in this decision will be
whether the service will be retailed directly to the end users, or wholesaled
to ISPs for them to resell to their customers.
If the service is wholesaled, there is a good chance that this
was done to minimize the telephone company involvement in support by making
the ISP the singlesource provider. In this case, it would be up to the
end user or the ISP to furnish and install CPE that will interoperate
with the DSLAM.
If the telco elects the "open market" approach
for CPE equipment, the selection of "standards-based" DSLAM
equipment is critical.
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