Sept 95 Level of govt: State, local Function: Telecommunications Problem/situation: Government agencies are looking for ways to inexpensively expand their telecommunications capabilities
Solution: ISDN technology enables voice, data, imaging and video to be delivered over existing phone lines
Jurisdictions: Hillsborough County, Fla.; Texas; Long Beach, Calif.; Huntsville, Ala
Vendors: GTE, Larribeau Associates, Intergraph, South Central Bell, Bell Atlantic, Pacific Bell, Ameritech, Nynex, SBC Communications, Bell South, U.S. West; Teleos, Dataquest Contact: Mark Ansboury, Texas Department of Information Resources, 512/475-2109
By Tod Newcombe Contributing Editor In Florida's Hillsborough County, a community worker sits at her desk and, using video, conducts face-to-face interviews with clients at multiple locations. While the use of off-the-shelf video technology - just a small video camera mounted atop her PC - might seem a little unusual, what is remarkable is the transport system for the application: an ISDN line
Just a few years ago, ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) seemed to be forever relegated to the backwaters of telecommunications. But ISDN - which enables voice, data, imaging and video to be delivered digitally over existing phone lines - has risen like a phoenix to reappear as a cost-effective means of connecting remote locations to the home office for voice and data services
More importantly, it has opened the door for government agencies to deploy some effective interactive services. The community worker in Florida uses ISDN to videoconference with her clients, who have been arrested. It's her job to collect and evaluate information concerning the type of counseling or other assistance they require
Thanks to ISDN and video, the worker has eliminated the need to drive to four or five different sites. She can process more applications and work more efficiently
IN SYNCH Some people may point to the phenomenal growth of the Internet as a factor in the recent rise in ISDN services. Individuals and businesses hungry for more bandwidth to surf the 'Net increasingly have turned to ISDN as an alternative to dial-up modem service or expensive T1 lines. But Bob Larribeau, a consultant in ISDN technology for Larribeau Associates, said ISDN growth has taken off because "things are finally getting into synch." According to Larribeau, large parts of the country now have ISDN available at a decent price. "All the RBOCs (regional bell operating companies) and GTE have strong ISDN programs," he said. "In addition, ISDN has emerged as a strong data alternative to dedicated lines and as a strong voice alternative to CENTREX, a PBX service provided to organizations by a local telephone company." Data transmission, rather than voice, is the reason individuals, businesses and government agencies are using ISDN. And they are finding benefits in the form of speed, cost and flexibility. "With ISDN, you can get high speed, reliable service where it's too expensive for leased lines," explained Larribeau
HUNTSVILLE Those reasons were echoed by David Buckelew, telecommunications manager for the city of Huntsville, Ala. The city of 165,000 has been dubbed the Silicon Valley of the South for its concentration of high tech firms and agencies, including NASA, the U.S. Army Missile Command and Intergraph Corp. As a result, South Central Bell has deployed ISDN throughout the city and the local government has moved aggressively to use it
"We're networking now where before the costs [for networking] would have been prohibitive," said Buckelew. Today, the Huntsville government has an ISDN network throughout the city at a fraction of the cost of using leased lines. Virtually all remote facilities - such as fire stations - have data links to city hall and other major departments
Buckelew touted ISDN's flexibility as a major benefit. "To install a line, I just call South Central Bell and tell them where I want it," he said
Right now, the city's primary application for ISDN is electronic mail
Long Beach Another city that has joined the ISDN bandwagon is Long Beach, Calif
Saddled with aging analog equipment for its phone system and numerous remote sites, the city formed a partnership with GTE to create a telecommunications umbrella under which voice and data traffic would be digitally transmitted
The $1.5 million network, dubbed CityTel, will link 21 departments and more than 200 locations, serving 4,500 employees. GTE and the city have installed fiber-optic rings in key Long Beach business areas and high-capacity digital switches in eight of the city's central offices
CityTel uses PRI ISDN and T1 lines to link the numerous government locations with the central offices. The voice portion of the network, which is 80 percent complete, uses ISDN to network PBXs with an ISDN-capable central switch. The arrangement gives the city government its own prefix phone number. Employees can transfer a call anywhere in city government simply by dialing the last five digits
Data applications for ISDN are coming along more slowly, according to Mario Valente, communications manager for Long Beach. But in the few sites where it has been deployed, Valente has already seen some nice benefits. "Our response time with ISDN has gone from 19.2 Kps to 56 Kps on BRI lines and up to 128 Kps on PRI lines," he said. "We have also reduced our line costs with ISDN to less than one-half of what we used to pay for dedicated lines - which were slower." TEXAS While most governments are looking at ISDN as a cost-effective alternative to remote access for data services, some government agencies are already pushing the ISDN envelope as a means to provide interactive services
Texas has looked at ISDN and likes what it sees. With a statewide strategic plan calling for more broadband services, the General Services Commission (GSC) and Department of Information Resources (DIR) have begun deploying ISDN in an effort to build a switched video/data network across the state
According to Mark Ansboury, manager of statewide telecommunications for DIR, several factors are behind the demand for ISDN in the state. One happens to be geography. "Look at the state, it's huge. We have few high-population areas and lots of rural communities," he said. With more than 6,000 schools and 1,000 school districts spread over 262,000 square miles, communication costs for education are high. ISDN is seen as a natural for cutting costs while improving data communications for such things as activity-based learning, which benefits from videoconferencing
Telemedicine is another reason the state is using ISDN. Health Science Centers run by the University of Texas in San Antonio and Galveston want to deliver diagnostic services to remote rural locations, state prisons and along the Texas-Mexico border. In order to do that, they need low-cost connections, said Marlys Denison, video network planner from the GSC
Two months ago, the state began to overlay ISDN switches on TEX-AN III, its private network, in more than a half-dozen sites. Placing them where demand is strongest, the ISDN switches from Teleos not only allow video applications, but give other government agencies a gateway to the state's growing public ISDN services for broad-based resource sharing. "We're working with a number of institutions, including local police departments, city and county seats, all of which want to use video over ISDN lines," said Ansboury
Besides touting its lower costs, Ansboury cited ISDN's flexibility as a key benefit. "You can use ISDN like a phone," he said. "When emergency medical information or assistance is critical it can be received on short notice, it's no problem with ISDN." In comparison, setting up a typical videoconference requires dedicated lines and manual intervention to start and stop the communication
TEST THE WATERS FIRST Like any technology, ISDN is not without its problems. First, while availability has risen dramatically, there are large sections of the country where the service hasn't been deployed. Only about 65 percent of the nation's phone switches are ISDN capable
Fees also vary considerably, as do the way they are charged. On the East Coast users pay per-minute rates, while Californians are charged rate-miles. Tariffs are also confusing, provoking some potential users to opt for frame relay because it's easy to order and is charged by a monthly flat fee. To remedy the situation, the Federal Communications Commission is moving toward establishing lower, more unified rate structures for ISDN
Another problem relates to installing ISDN service and implementing an application. Customers have complained that phone companies are not very savvy about ISDN, having more experience with voice than data transmissions. Larribeau warned that getting an ISDN application underway can be difficult, especially if the installation and configuration is complicated by bridges and routers. "Once it's up, however, everything is usually okay because the service is digital," he said
To avoid pitfalls, Larribeau and other analysts recommend that agencies carefully choose their applications and equipment before ordering services
They should also make sure the ISDN service provider understands their needs. Finally, they should run a pilot test using the service before rolling out any broad deployments
----------Technicals---------- Each ISDN line offers three separate communication channels over a single copper line. Standard ISDN, known as BRI (basic rate interface), has two main - or B channels - that can be used for normal voice telephone service or to send and receive data, fax or video at 64 kilobits/sec. The third (D) channel is often used to manage communications. Advanced ISDN, or PRI (primary rate interface), provides 23 high-speed digital circuits of combined voice and up to 1.544 Mbits/sec of data
While costs for ISDN vary considerably nationwide, on average the price for a BRI ISDN circuit is $54 a month, while PRI ISDN circuits cost $1,050, according to data from Dataquest, a market research firm. Larribeau reported that an ISDN line in California can cost as little as $24 per month
In order to use ISDN, a person needs several pieces of equipment besides a computer and the line. The first piece is a terminal adapter (TA), which connects to the PC externally or internally and can contain software for videoconferencing and Internet access. The second piece of equipment is a network termination device called an NT1. Some ISDN equipment manufacturers are starting to combine adapters and NT1s into one unit
---------Sidebar #1--------- ISDN AVAILABILITY: Telephone service providers and the amount of ISDN availability as a percentage of their total access lines: Bell Atlantic: 90% Pacific Bell: 87% Ameritech: 80% Nynex: 76% SBC Communications: 66% BellSouth: 64% U.S. West: 59% GTE: 18% Source: Dataquest ----------Sidebar #2--------- FCC Retreats On ISDN Charge Plan WASHINGTON, D.C. (NB) - The Federal Communications Commission has backed away from a proposal that requires telephone companies to raise the price for ISDN lines. The telephone companies had slammed the agency on the issue, saying it was forcing them to raise prices for the new digital telephone service when the phone companies wanted to lower rates
The commission's Common Carrier Bureau had decided to charge a "subscriber line charge" for each of the virtual phone lines created by the ISDN technology. So a business user would have to pay $6 per month for each of the 24 lines - or $144 a month, on top of the regular telephone company charges. Residential customers would have to pay $3.50 per line
The FCC upheld the staff decision on the line charges last January. But in May, after heavy criticism from the industry and consumers, the agency announced a "suspension of its enforcement authority" on the line charges install a line, I just call South Central Bell and tell them where I want it," he said
Right now, the city's primary application for ISDN is electronic mail
Long Beach Another city that has joined the ISDN bandwagon is Long Beach, Calif
Saddled with aging analog equipment for its phone system and numerous remote sites, the city formed a partnership with GTE to create a telecommunications umbrella under which voice and data traffic would be digitally transmitted
The $1.5 million network, dubbed CityTel, will link 21 departments and more than 200 locations, serving 4,500 employees. GTE and the city have installed fiber-optic rings in key Long Beach business areas and high-capacity digital switches in eight of the city's central offices
CityTel uses PRI ISDN and T1 lines to link the numerous government locations with the central offices. The voice portion of the network, which is 80 percent complete, uses ISDN to network PBXs with an ISDN-capable central switch. The arrangement gives the city government its own prefix phone number. Employees can transfer a call anywhere in city government simply by dialing the last five digits
Data applications for ISDN are coming along more slowly, according to Mario Valente, communications manager for Long Beach. But in the few sites where it has been deployed, Valente has already seen some nice benefits. "Our response time with ISDN has gone from 19.2 Kps to 56 Kps on BRI lines and up to 128 Kps on PRI lines," he said. "We have also reduced our line costs with ISDN to less than one-half of what we used to pay for dedicated lines - which were slower." TEXAS While most governments are looking at ISDN as a cost-effective alternative to remote access for data services, some government agencies are already pushing the ISDN envelope as a means to provide interactive services
Texas has looked at ISDN and likes what it sees. With a statewide strategic plan calling for more broadband services, the General Services Commission (GSC) and Department of Information Resources (DIR) have begun deploying ISDN in an effort to build a switched video/data network across the state
According to Mark Ansboury, manager of statewide telecommunications for DIR, several factors are behind the demand for ISDN in the state. One happens to be geography. "Look at the state, it's huge. We have few high-population areas and lots of rural communities," he said. With more than 6,000 schools and 1,000 school districts spread over 262,000 square miles, communication costs for education are high. ISDN is seen as a natural for cutting costs while improving data communications for such things as activity-based learning, which benefits from videoconferencing
Telemedicine is another reason the state is using ISDN. Health Science Centers run by the University of Texas in San Antonio and Galveston want to deliver diagnostic services to remote rural locations, state prisons and along the Texas-Mexico border. In order to do that, they need low-cost connections, said Marlys Denison, video network planner from the GSC
Two months ago, the state began to overlay ISDN switches on TEX-AN III, its private network, in more than a half-dozen sites. Placing them where demand is strongest, the ISDN switches from Teleos not only allow video applications, but give other government agencies a gateway to the state's growing public ISDN services for broad-based resource sharing. "We're working with a number of institutions, including local police departments, city and county seats, all of which want to use video over ISDN lines," said Ansboury
Besides touting its lower costs, Ansboury cited ISDN's flexibility as a key benefit. "You can use ISDN like a phone," he said. "When emergency medical information or assistance is critical it can be received on short notice, it's no problem with ISDN." In comparison, setting up a typical videoconference requires dedicated lines and manual intervention to start and stop the communication
TEST THE WATERS FIRST Like any technology, ISDN is not without its problems. First, while availability has risen dramatically, there are large sections of the country where the service hasn't been deployed. Only about 65 percent of the nation's phone switches are ISDN capable
Fees also vary considerably, as do the way they are charged. On the East Coast users pay per-minute rates, while Californians are charged rate-miles. Tariffs are also confusing, provoking some potential users to opt for frame relay because it's easy to order and is charged by a monthly flat fee. To remedy the situation, the Federal Communications Commission is moving toward establishing lower, more unified rate structures for ISDN
Another problem relates to installing ISDN service and implementing an application. Customers have complained that phone companies are not very savvy about ISDN, having more experience with voice than data transmissions. Larribeau warned that getting an ISDN application underway can be difficult, especially if the installation and configuration is complicated by bridges and routers. "Once it's up, however, everything is usually okay because the service is digital," he said
To avoid pitfalls, Larribeau and other analysts recommend that agencies carefully choose their applications and equipment before ordering services
They should also make sure the ISDN service provider understands their needs. Finally, they should run a pilot test using the service before rolling out any broad deployments
----------Technicals---------- Each ISDN line offers three separate communication channels over a single copper line. Standard ISDN, known as BRI (basic rate interface), has two main - or B channels - that can be used for normal voice telephone service or to send and receive data, fax or video at 64 kilobits/sec. The third (D) channel is often used to manage communications. Advanced ISDN, or PRI (primary rate interface), provides 23 high-speed digital circuits of combined voice and up to 1.544 Mbits/sec of data
While costs for ISDN vary considerably nationwide, on average the price for a BRI ISDN circuit is $54 a month, while PRI ISDN circuits cost $1,050, according to data from Dataquest, a market research firm. Larribeau reported that an ISDN line in California can cost as little as $24 per month
In order to use ISDN, a person needs several pieces of equipment besides a computer and the line. The first piece is a terminal adapter (TA), which connects to the PC externally or internally and can contain software for videoconferencing and Internet access. The second piece of equipment is a network termination device called an NT1. Some ISDN equipment manufacturers are starting to combine adapters and NT1s into one unit
---------Sidebar #1--------- ISDN AVAILABILITY: Telephone service providers and the amount of ISDN availability as a percentage of their total access lines: Bell Atlantic: 90% Pacific Bell: 87% Ameritech: 80% Nynex: 76% SBC Communications: 66% BellSouth: 64% U.S. West: 59% GTE: 18% Source: Dataquest ----------Sidebar #2--------- FCC Retreats On ISDN Charge Plan WASHINGTON, D.C. (NB) - The Federal Communications Commission has backed away from a proposal that requires telephone companies to raise the price for ISDN lines. The telephone companies had slammed the agency on the issue, saying it was forcing them to raise prices for the new digital telephone service when the phone companies wanted to lower rates
The commission's Common Carrier Bureau had decided to charge a "subscriber line charge" for each of the virtual phone lines created by the ISDN technology. So a business user would have to pay $6 per month for each of the 24 lines - or $144 a month, on top of the regular telephone company charges. Residential customers would have to pay $3.50 per line
The FCC upheld the staff decision on the line charges last January. But in May, after heavy criticism from the industry and consumers, the agency announced a "suspension of its enforcement authority" on the line charges
The agency also issued a notice of proposed rule making on subscriber line charges to decide the issue formally. The agency said it wants to "avoid creating regulatory barriers to the development of beneficial new technologies, particularly when those services and technologies can facilitate access to the benefits of the national information infrastructure." In its announcement on the ISDN charges, the commission expressed "concern about measures that could reduce (line charge) revenues, and potentially increase interstate toll rates." It also said it would be troubled by a policy that would reduce line charges for large business customers but not residential customers
Ironically, on the same day the FCC backed away from ISDN virtual line charges, Bell Atlantic, which provides local phone service to the Washington area, announced a major price cut for ISDN. The Philadelphia-based company said it would cut per-minute ISDN charges from five cents to two cents. The basic monthly charge for the service would remain at $40
With the new rates, said Bell Atlantic, the typical telecommuter could work from home with ISDN equipment for about $12 per week, plus the cost of ISDN-compliant equipment costing between $500 and $2,000
---------Sidebar #3--------- ISDN Information on the Net Access to the Internet may be one of the reasons why so many individuals, businesses and government agencies want ISDN services. It's also a great place to get information about ISDN
A quick search of the World Wide Web, one of the applications available on the Internet, reveals 880 sites and documents pertaining to ISDN. Bell Atlantic, which has its own ISDN home page, lists its favorite sources of ISDN information: * SUCCEED's Information on ISDN Home Page: http://fiddle.ee.vt.edu/succeed/isdn.html * Dan Kegel's ISDN Page at CalTech: http://www.icus.com/kegel.html * Papers on ISDN at the University of Wisconsin's Gopher: gopher://moc.macc.wisc.edu/11/isdn/papers * NASA's ISDN Mailing List: gopher://java.lerc.nasa.gov/11/NASA_Servers/ACTS/working/ISDN * ISDN Fact Sheet http://www.ba.com/isdn.html In addition, Texas and California have ISDN user groups, who have their own home pages: * Texas ISDN Users Group (TIUG): http://www.technology.org/isdn * California ISDN User Group http://www.almaden.ibm.com/ciug
