Verizon To Use New Tech With Old Cables

Ant wrote to mention a ZDNet article about a new initive to get modern high-speed net access into homes utilizing old coaxial cable lines. Right now Verizon digs up streets and lays out expensive fiber to get homes online, but new tech may let them accomplish that task for much less hassle and expense. From the article: "Later this year, it plans to use new technology from the Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA) , an industry group that promotes using coaxial cable installed for cable TV to transmit broadband around the home. The organization says that its technology supports speeds up to 270 megabits per second. Because most homes already have coaxial cable installed in several rooms, Verizon can significantly reduce its Fios installation costs by using existing cabling to connect home computers to its broadband service."

Comments

Misleading summary (surprise)

[Tx]

The summary says Right now Verizon digs up streets and lays out expensive fiber to get homes online, but new tech may let them accomplish that task for much less hassle and expense, but the article is talking about using pre-installed coax to connect computers within the home to broadband, it has nothing about getting the broadband to the home.

RT..., oh, never mind

[fm6]

Verizon is offering broadband over plain old coaxial TV cable? Whoopty-frickin-doo!

It's a typical Slashdot sloppy headline, but that's no excuse for not reading the submission. It's not just "broadband", it's at speeds competitive with those of fibre.

Re:RT..., oh, never mind

[giverson]

This isn't even about fiber vs coax, it's about coax vs ethernet. The theory is that the existing coax within the home can be used instead of rolling out new CAT5 like they do now. With this, they still roll out the fiber to the home.

Now: FIOS->New CAT5
With this: FIOS->Existing coax

Re:RT..., oh, never mind

[giverson]

This service is still based on fiber optics. The fiber optics go to your house. Inside your house it is distributed over coax. This article is about wiring INSIDE THE HOUSE. Therefore it is still FIOS.

Did no one read the article?

Re:Will this anger Time Warner, Comcast, Adelphia?

[OverlordQ]

Um no? Coax in my house is my coax, the cable co doesn't own it. They may own it up to my house, but once it enters the house, it's all mine.

Re:Oh, you mean THAT Verizon?

[omega9]

(-1, Uninformed)

I switched from Comcast cable modem service to FIOS this past December.

1) Comcast was ~$45/month for 6.6/512k. With FIOS, I splurged and I'm paying $54/month for 30/5. You can, however, stay at $45/month with FIOS and get 15/3. Not to be biased, Comcast is rumored to be increasing their speeds to 16/?? without a price raise, at least around here. But, as a previous reply mentioned, torrents on a 30/5 line are rather sweet.

2) I'm a pure Linux shop at home. The installers had no problem with that. They were more concerned with my Linksys router which I was told has issues with PPPoE at or above 15Mb/sec. They welcomed me to plug it back in, so it wasn't a sales pitch. I eventually found many FIOS forum posts from people experiencing exactly what they described.

3) Their TV service isn't actually available here yet (Comcast stronghold, currently in legislation), but I know from other areas that it isn't IPTV. Their initial test area was somewhere in Texas I believe, and it's interesting to read their reactions to the service, which is extremely good.

Looks like you're wrong on all points. That must suck. A lot.