High Speed Internet Access in Michiana
Are we catching up at last?
MISHAWAKA. Michiana hasn't been at the forefront of high
speed internet access for businesses and consumers. Over
the last few months, though, there are finally new options for
those who want more speed than a dial-up connection but can't
justify the cost of a T1 line.
Cable Modems for Consumers. On the consumer front,
the big news has been the gradual rollout of @Home access by
AT&T Broadband. This service is available to some
(but not yet all) of the homes that have cable TV service available
from AT&T (formerly TCI). Connecting this service
requires a cable modem and a network connector, which are available
from AT&T. The main advantage of this service is the
combination of modest price and potentially high speed.
The service costs less than $40 per month, and can achieve connection
speeds of 1MBps or even faster.
What's the catch? Since cable internet connections are
shared with one's neighbors, as the service becomes more popular,
speed could decline. While AT&T says they will add
equipment as needed to maintain speeds, current high speed rates
may not be maintained. (Several CompStar staffers use
the AT&T service, and have recorded speeds above 1.7 MBps
- faster than a T1!)
The other catch is that cable delivery of Internet connectivity
is currently for residential users only - business locations
won't be able to take advantage of this cheap bandwidth.
If one's residence has the service available, though, it's almost
a no-brainer. The $40 monthly bill is actually less than
a typical combined cost of a pokey dial-up connection using
an extra telephone line and an ISP (e.g., AOL).
DSL for Business. (Caution: This portion of
the article includes a plug for CompStar!) While many of
our larger city brethren have had DSL availability for a year
or more, Michiana businesses have had to choose between slow
dial-up and ISDN connections or costly T1 lines. DSL service
does not require special cabling or antennas; rather, it uses
existing telephone lines to provide Internet access at speeds
from two to thirty times as fast as a typical 56K dial-up connection.
Usually, DSL connections are much less expensive than other
forms of high speed connection.
The reason for the delay in availability of DSL service in
Michiana is that to date, Ameritech has been legally prohibited
from offering the service itself. Instead, third party
firms have had to install their equipment in Ameritech's central
offices (COs) and use Ameritech phone lines to reach potential
customers. Several of the early attempts to provide DSL
to Michiana customers were hampered by incomplete CO coverage
and DSL providers that lacked the resources to provide long-term,
stable delivery of service.
Now, CompStar Technologies has teamed up with New Edge Networks
to provide DSL service to businesses in South Bend, Mishawaka,
Niles, and Michigan City. All of the COs in these cities
have DSL equipment installed.
DSL service offers firms the ability to purchase the bandwidth
that they need without spending for unnecessary capacity.
The monthly cost of the service varies depending on bandwidth;
one offer that is currently available provides 768K connectivity
for $199 per month. This is about half of the speed of
a T1 connection, and about fourteen times as fast as a dial-up
connection using a standard telephone line and modem.
Typically, T1 service is far more expensive and requires the
additional expense of a separate Internet access provider.
For an individual office location, the availability of DSL
service as well as the maximum bandwidth depends on the distance
between that location and the telephone company central office.
Since the distance is measured along the path that the wiring
travels, each location must be evaluated individually.
CompStar can make the availability and speed determination from
the street address of the site in question.
DSL service allows a business to remain continuously connected
to the Internet and to share access with all authorized users
in the office. DSL also offers a way to connect multiple
offices in different locations without costly dedicated telephone
lines; instead, a virtual private network (VPN) is established
using the Internet. The VPN offers a secure, encrypted
connection without a company having to invest in infrastructure
of its own. CompStar Technologies system engineers can
evaluate a company's needs and recommend the most secure and
cost-effective solution.
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CompStar Technologies is a leading Indiana-based provider of networking, technology, and communications services. With offices in Mishawaka (serving South Bend, Elkhart, Warsaw, Michigan City, Fort Wayne, Niles, St. Joseph, and Benton Harbor, Michigan) and Indianapolis, CompStar provides network design / support, network security, wireless networking, business telephone systems, VoIP (voice over IP), and cctv / video surveillance systems. CompStar is the Technology Division of Direct Line Communications, headquartered in Mishawaka, Indiana.
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