Bridging the Gap
between Business
& Technology

Thomas C. Harter, PE, President
tharter@engineeringassociates.com

HFC vs.
Twisted Pair

Cable Modems

Elements of Data Cabling

Wireless Data

Recent Client
Projects

As we investigate network design options for our clients, we realize that network convergence will be at the forefront of communications networks. Because of this, we are investing in additional research and training resources to ensure our professional consulting and engineering staff have the ability to address network convergence from a practical and economic standpoint.

It is our sincere hope that you will find this newsletter useful in your planning efforts. Please feel free to contact me directly if you have any questions or comments regarding this newsletter. We look forward to providing this valuable resource for many years to come.

Note: This newsletter provides business, technology and network planning advice to clients and friends of the firm. None of this general information should be acted upon without first determining its application to your specific situation.

For more information, contact the author or tderiso@engineeringassociates.com

A few years ago this question was a non-issue. If you were lucky enough to operate both Cable TV and Telephone companies, there was a line in the sand which you could not cross. In the last few years changes in regulatory policy and improvements in technology have caused this line to blur.

So how should you plan your future plant upgrades? If your CATV service area overlaps your telephone service area, then you should consider using hybrid fiber-coax (HFC) technology to deliver voice, video, and possibly high-speed data over a single coax drop.

In many areas, the bandwidth for these three technologies can be cost-effectively delivered

through readily available broadband distribution electronics.

It's a little more complicated if you are like most telcos and have an imbedded twisted pair cable plant without any CATV plant. Is it economically feasible to abandon your twisted pair approach for HFC in hopes of delivering all these services to your customers? What kinds of services can you expect to deliver with DSL over your twisted pair network? We're using some of our current design work to develop some pricing models to answer some of these fundamental questions which telcos are facing. Look for a more detailed analysis in our next issue.