Comcast announced last November it would begin offering Internet access over its cable system. We' re at the very crux of beginning our marketing push. In the next week to two weeks, we will begin an aggressive rollout. In the case of DSL, it's about technology that will allow Ameritech to use more of the capacity that's available in the copper phone lines feeding into your home or business. Those devices will separate data traffic from normal voice traffic and feed it into different portions of your phone line.
Consumers can surf while simultaneously talking on the phone.
In the immediate future, DSL availability will be limited to homes within three miles of Ameritech's switching stations because speed begins to degrade beyond that distance. The next phase of Ameritech's DSL deployment will address that by installing remote terminals in areas further from the switching facilities to handle DSL chores. Ameritech officials say there's a catch, though. Bruinsma says that if technicians see areas clogging up, they'll step in and reroute users. Kagan, the telecommunications analyst, says cable has a head start.