INDUSTRY LEADERS JOIN IN DEMONSTRATION OF PIONEERING TELECOMMUNICATIONS

[David Farber <farber () central cis upenn edu>]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


INDUSTRY LEADERS JOIN IN DEMONSTRATION OF PIONEERING TELECOMMUNICATIONS
TECHNOLOGY


Project Represents First-in-the-Nation Collaboration
Among Local Cable Companies


Boston, MA (November 16, 1993) - In an unprecedented collaboration among
Massachusetts' leading cable companies, Cablevision of Boston, Continental
Cablevision and Time Warner Cable today demonstrated a breakthrough wireless
telephone call using interconnected cable television systems bypassing the local
telephone company. The demonstration,  which occurred at Faneuil Hall,
illustrated how cable technology can be utilized to create what developers call
a Personal Communication Network (PCN).


"The implications of this pilot project are enormous for Massachusetts," said
Henry J. Ferris, Jr., General Manager of Cablevision. "The cable-based PCN will
give consumers a competitive choice in the wireless communication market as the
cable industry moves towards seamless service areas on the electronic
superhighway."


The PCN makes use of existing cable systems to transmit voice, data and video
communications with increased clarity. Cable transmissions are carried over
fiber and coaxial broad band networks, offering improved sound quality and
capacity.


"This first-ever cooperative experiment among three cable companies signals the
enormous possibilities which exist when we combine out resources and expertise,"
said Terry O'Connell, President of Time Warner Cable's Greater Boston Division.


Frank Anthony, Senior Vice President of Continental Cablevision noted, "By
exploiting the enormous technological potential of the cable networks already in
place throughout New England, our Personal Communications Network significantly
advances the creation of a powerful electronic superhighway for the region. With
this kind of cohesive infrastructure, opportunities for advancements in the
telecommunications industry are limitless."


The Faneuil Hall test used existing Boston-area cable lines to deliver a
wireless phone conversation from Boston to Newton, demonstrating how cable
television infrastructure can be a regional provider of wireless communications
services. Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Paul Cellucci, using a wireless
handset, placed a call to Newton Mayor Theodore Mann via cable. Cablevision's
system in Boston carried the call through Boston to Continental Cablevision's
service border; Continental routed the call through Dedham, Needham, Newton and
Cambridge to Teleport Communications Group where a #5 ESS switch enabled the
call to come back over Continental's regional fiber network where it was
received by Mayor Mann using a portable phone on Heartbreak Hill in Newton.


Following the Newton call, the Lieutenant Governor placed a wireless call to
Malden Mayor Edwin Lucey, which again traveled via the Cablevision network,
through Continental's system, then along Time Warner Cable infrastructure in
Malden.


By using Teleport Communications Group switching capabilities, both calls were
routed independently of the local telephone company, demonstrating the
autonomous power of the interconnected cable infrastructure to provide seamless
telephone call transport. The demonstration calls also highlighted the audio
clarity provided by cable technology.


A main focus of the demonstration was the PCN architecture itself which is the
result of extensive research and development by the cable industry. Calls routed
over two or more cable system are connected via a fiber-optic-based regional
network and a centralized switching center. The quality of voice transmission
surpasses that of cellular services. Because the cable television systems are
already in place, obviating the need for large capital investments in
infrastructure, the cable industry can offer a cost-effective alternative to
cellular telephone service.


Recognizing strong consumer demand for competitive alternatives to cellular
technology, the cable industry's wireless telephone service features full
mobility in vehicles moving at various speeds, far-ranging, "ubiquitous"
coverage and reduced cost as imperative for commercial viability in wireless
communications.


The PCN facilitates the marriage of portable computer, telephone and fax
technology to wireless telecommunications. Users of the PCN are assigned a
personal telephone number, which is not tied to a particular address but,
rather, travels with the person allowing users to communicate with other users
at any location. Such a system frees individuals from the constraints of wired
networks which leave devices such as telephones, fax machine and computers
limited to a single location. This "lifestyle" coverage goes where the user goes
and allows for person-to-person rather than point-to-point communication.
Cablevision of Boston, Continental Cablevision and Time Warner Cable officials
expect that this local network will pave the way for futuristic
telecommunications application on the electronic superhighway in Massachusetts.