NetSpeed fires up 7 Mb/s modems Small user group shows interest in ADSL connections

Austin-based NetSpeed has begun deploying a 7 Mb/s version of its SpeedRunner asymmetrical digital subscriber line modem, and two Portland, Ore., companies are among the first to put the device to the test.

Mental Health Services West, a mental health clinic, is installing the 7 Mb/s modem to connect the local area networks at its two Portland-area locations. The clinic is working with the U.S. division of AUSNet, an Australian Internet service provider, to establish the connection.

The clinic had been looking at more conventional means such as a T-1 line to connect its LANs, said Richard Green, MIS manager for Mental Health Services West. But a networking consultant with whom the clinic was working suggested AUSNet, which already had SpeedRunner's 2 Mb/s modems.

"I was very interested because [the ADSL solution] was going to be much cheaper," Green said. And when SpeedRunner rolled out its 7 Mb/s version, "they offered to upgrade us in exchange for being a test site," he said.

Jim Gruetzke, AUSNet's North American general manager, said the 7 Mb/s modem allows greater flexibility in meeting customers' needs. Not all need that much bandwidth, but a few of AUSNet's clients have expressed interest. "Our client base comes to us looking not only for Internet but network solutions," he said. " It's putting us in a position to be a sole provider for telecommunications needs.

In the case of Mental Health Services West, AUSNet is leasing a copper pair that connects the two clinic sites through AUSNet's central office (see figure). The clinic's main LAN includes a Paradox database, Novell groupware, a Unix box and an Internet server, all of which the company would like to make fully available to users at the secondary site. Mental Health Services West is hoping that the greater available bandwidth will provide a robust link that will handle the traffic.

According to Vern Mackall, senior analyst for International Data Corp., NetSpeed's rapid deployment of ADSL products signals its future direction: selling to telcos.

"They're continuing to evolve to make their products more telco-friendly," he said.

But NetSpeed is sticking with the ISPs for now because telcos have been slow to adopt ADSL, while the ISPs are a fertile testing ground.

The upgrade to 7 Mb/s isn't as important for the present as for the future, said Lynn Nye, president of Portland-based consultancy Net Results, adding that while ADSL will help relieve pressure on telco switches, its real importance won't be seen for a few years. "Today it's hard to use," he said, but as telcos, cable companies and wireless providers start creeping into each other's markets, it will become very important.

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