MODEMS: It’s Black-and-white…

Technology Options



n Dial-up

Modems: The ubiquitous dial-up modems have not seen much advancement in

technology, but are still popular. 56k modems are still the fastest available

though the V.92 standard is an enhancement on the existing V.90 technology. The

V.92 standard offers features like faster upload speeds, quicker connection

times and streamlined call handling. This technology lets users take advantage

of Internet Call Notification (ICN). It also offers other features such as

modem-on-hold, quick connect, and V.PCM.

Modem-on-hold suspends the online session for incoming calls, and then

returns to the online activities after the user’s phone conversation, without

the need to redial. For this, the user needs to enable the call-waiting feature

from the telephone service provider.

Quick Connect is a feature that can reduce dial-up connection time by 50

percent. This feature ‘remembers’ line conditions from the previous session,

bypasses portions of the training/handshake sequence, and gets the user online

faster.

The V.PCM enhancement lets the user send information quickly on the Web.

V.PCM Upstream reaches speeds up to 48 kbps and lets the user choose either the

fastest downstream speed (up to 53 kbps) or a ‘balanced’ connection of

downstream and upstream communication.

n DSL Modems: Digital

subscriber line (DSL) presents broadband Internet access over regular (copper)

telephone lines. A DSL modem facilitates simultaneous voice and data

transmission over the same line. It does this by splitting the copper line into

two frequency ranges. The frequencies below 4 KHz are reserved for voice, and

the range above that is used for data.

DSL modems based on G.Lite technology can download data at speeds up to 1.5

Mbps, which is 25 times faster than 56k modems.

n Cable

Modems: Cable modems convert Internet data into a radio frequency (RF)

signal that can be transmitted over coaxial cable. Transmission speeds vary, as

depending on the technology being used there is a difference between upstream

and downstream speeds. Cable is a shared medium and so transmission speeds will

slow down as more users log on. Regular cable TV companies are providing

Internet access as a value-added service. In addition, there are service

providers who are offering only Internet access over cable.

n ISDN Modems:

The ISDN modem connects the computer to a digital communications line (ISDN

line). The transmission over the line is purely digital.

n LAN Modems: The

concept of shared Internet access has resulted in LAN modems. These modems have

a built-in IP router, 4-port 10BASE-T hub and voice ports. In effect, this

device allows the user to instantly create a 10 Mbps LAN for the SOHO, and share

a printer, modem or fax machine.

Buying Tips

n Dial-up

Modems: The 56k internal modem is more popular today, though power users

still prefer external modems. The external modems are also more reliable and

offer better download speeds. Besides, if the user is not confident about

opening up the machine, it is better to stick to an external modem.

n Driver

Availability: Check if the modem driver is available on the vendor website.

n Cable Modems–Standards

Compliance: The cable modem must comply with the Data Over Cable Service

Interface Specification (DOCSIS) 1.0 standards.

n DSL Modems: Standards

Compliance: The modem should support industry standards like G.lite and ITU

G.dmt.

Compatibility: Most of the types of DSL technologies like DSL, HDSL,

VDSL, and RADSL are incompatible with one another. It is therefore important

that the user uses the same type of DSL technology as the service provider.

Market Information

Popular mostly among retail users as well as in some corporates, the dial-up

modem market in India is currently pegged at Rs 116 crore. D-Link at 45 percent

currently enjoys a lion’s share, though Dax and Microtek have also emerged as

strong brands in the south and north respectively. 90 percent of the dial-up

modems sold were internal, but a healthy 10 percent were still external units.

The reasons for this shift: apart from loading the CPU, advantages of internal

modems start right from cost benefits to no external power adapters to space

saving features and discouraging of amateur troubleshooting.

Apart from dial-up, the leased line modem market, pegged at Rs 120 crore,

also saw a significant drop in prices, mostly due to the reduction in the prices

of leased line connections. MRO-Tek continues to lead in this segment with over

70 percent market share, selling over 20,000 leased line modems. However, the

segment is unlikely to witness much growth due to the crash in prices of modems.

The growth rate has been poor because of the delays in the broadband backbones

being implemented. Only enterprises and large government bodies are able to

afford leased lines in India today, and the market for leased line modems is

just these players. Even on the leased line front, players like D-Link and Ascom

have made significant inroads.

In the cable modem space, 3Com, Terayon and Scientific Atlanta were the main

players while Alcatel, Ericsson and MRO-Tek dominated the show in the DSL space.

EXPERTS PANEL Anand Mehta, marketing manager, D-Link India S Narayanan, chairman and managing director, MRO-Tek Sujit Singh, country manager, Dax Networks