By: John Shepler
AT&T recently decided to discontinue certain line services due to a lack of demand. While this might not seem surprising, the services being phased out are not outdated copper lines, but rather relatively new, high-speed technologies: GigaMAN Gigabit Ethernet and DecaMAN 10 Gigabit Ethernet. These services are used to connect geographically dispersed Local Area Networks (LANs).
Not So Old-Timey
The discontinuation will affect customers in eleven states: Arkansas, California, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, and Wisconsin. It’s remarkable that such high-speed fiber optic Ethernet services are being discontinued so quickly. This raises questions about the replacement options available.
Replacement Technology
Technological advancement is happening at a rapid pace. While GigaMAN and DecaMAN provided businesses with reliable, high-bandwidth, low-latency connections, AT&T has developed an even better solution called ADE (AT&T Dedicated Ethernet). ADE surpasses the capabilities of its predecessors, offering speeds ranging from 1 Gbps to an impressive 100 Gbps.
AT&T’s latest technology goes beyond supporting only Ethernet formats, incorporating support for various protocols. Their system utilizes an Optical Transport Network (OTN), a standardized method for encapsulating different protocols within containers. These containers can then be transmitted across the same industry-standard fiber optic wavelengths.
Where is This All Going
Fiber and wireless are the two digital transport technologies experiencing the fastest growth. The demand for fiber is driven by the increasing volume of video content being created and shared. The shift from local data centers to remote cloud services further fuels this demand. Maintaining productivity levels when applications are hosted in the cloud necessitates high connection speeds and low latency.
Interestingly, the transition to faster wireless services, such as LTE 4G and the upcoming 5G, is another significant driver of demand for fiber optic transport capacity. Older cell towers often relied on readily available copper-based T1 lines, which were provisioned over the same twisted pair cables used for landline telephone service. However, the bandwidth requirements of 4G, 5G, and future technologies far exceed the capabilities of even multiple bonded T1 lines, making point-to-point wireless and fiber optic lines essential.
Is Copper a Goner?
Twisted pair copper connections have been a cornerstone of the telecommunications industry for over a century, with T1 digital lines being widely used for half that time. However, the future of copper is uncertain.
The widespread use of cellular phones has reduced the need for traditional landlines. Businesses are increasingly replacing Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) with VoIP telephony and Unified Communications, both of which operate over computer networks rather than traditional telephone wiring. Smaller companies often connect to their service providers using cable broadband, while medium and larger businesses are opting for direct fiber optic connections.
The decline in demand for copper lines has become so pronounced that telephone companies are requesting permission from the FCC to abandon old copper lines. This will likely begin with a refusal to connect new locations, but it’s unclear how long it will be before existing customers are left without dial tone.
This situation creates a unique challenge for businesses that still rely on analog POTS phone service, ISDN PRI multiple phone lines, T1 dedicated data lines, and Ethernet over Copper point-to-point and dedicated Internet service. While these connections are currently available, the increasing availability of fiber in buildings will likely lead businesses to switch to fiber optic links, which offer higher bandwidth options and lower costs per Mbps. Line-of-sight and 5G cellular wireless technologies will likely fill the gaps in areas where fiber construction costs are prohibitive.
How To Ensure Continuing Service
In today’s telecommunications landscape, businesses have more options than ever before. Deregulation has fostered competition, leading to the emergence of new companies offering alternative services, often at more competitive prices, by leasing telephone company lines.
The advent of fiber optics has further disrupted the industry. Numerous fiber optic network companies now own and operate their own fiber optic infrastructure, providing direct connections to their networks and bypassing telephone company facilities entirely. This competition has resulted in significantly lower bandwidth costs. Businesses can now obtain 10 Mbps Ethernet for the price of a 1.5 Mbps T1 line, and 100 Mbps for only a few times that amount. Gigabit Ethernet is now affordable for a large number of businesses, and even 10 Gbps and 100 Gbps are within reach for those with high capacity requirements.
Businesses concerned about the potential loss of voice, video, or data connections should explore the available alternatives to ensure uninterrupted service. Considering the significant cost savings and bandwidth enhancements offered by current technologies is highly recommended.
