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INDUSTRY LEADERS JOIN IN DEMONSTRATION OF PIONEERING TELECOMMUNICATIONS
From: David Farber <farber () central cis upenn edu>
Date: Sat, 20 Nov 1993 10:17:44 -0500
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.
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