| ISDN FAQ: |
Features, Capabilities and Requirements
Availability and Pricing General Product Information |
| Features, Capabilities and Requirements |
What do I need to connect to the Internet using ISDN? What does your ISDN Internet access include? What type of computer system do I need? What type of ISDN equipment should I buy? Can I use my existing ISDN equipment with your service? Do you support 2 B-channel (2-B) connections? Do you support call-back? Do you support ISDN Primary Rate connections? |
| Availability and Pricing |
Where is your ISDN Internet access available? How can I find out if ISDN phone service is available in my area? How much does your ISDN Internet access cost? I live in GTE territory, can I still get Internet access and ISDN? |
| General Product Information |
Is ISDN Internet access for business or consumers? Why is the speed of ISDN sometimes referred to as 56 kbps, 64 kbps, 112 kbps, 128 kbps or even 144 kbps? Why are you offering an ISDN Terminal Adapter (TA) solution instead of a router solution? What is xDSL and how does it compare to ISDN? What about TV cable companies offering Internet access at speeds even faster than ISDN? Where can I learn more about ISDN? |
Features, Capabilities and Requirements
- What do I need to connect to the Internet using ISDN?
- There are three basic components required:
- ISDN Internet access and Internet software
- An ISDN phone line from the telephone company
- ISDN hardware
- What does your ISDN Internet access include?
- We offer everything you need including:
- ISDN Internet access and Internet software
- TCP/IP and dialer
- Unlimited Access
- One Primary E-mail account
- Two Extra E-mail accounts
- Two Extra E-mail aliases
- One Personal Home Page account (15 MB)
- Award-winning, 24 hour customer service
- Access to over 40,000 newsgroups
- Roaming outside of Pacific Bell territory for only 4 cents per minute
We also offer Home Pack, a one-stop solution which includes an ISDN line, 3Com Impact IQ terminal adapter (also known as "ISDN modem") and ISDN Internet access.
- What type of computer system do I need?
- Windows users should have the following minimum configuration:
- 486sx or higher Windows based computer
- Windows 3.1, Windows for Workgroups, Windows 95/98 or Windows NT 4.0
- 8MB RAM (16MB RAM recommended)
- 10MB free hard disk space (25MB recommended)
- 16550 UART
- Com Port 1 or 2
- Macintosh users should have the following minimum configuration:
- 68030 or PowerPC
- MacOS System 7.1 or higher
- 8 MB RAM
- 10 MB free hard disk space (20 MB recommended)
- Open Transport Version 1.1, if using Open Transport
- What type of ISDN equipment should I buy?
- Our Home Pack solution bundles the 3Com Impact IQ terminal adapter (also
known as an "ISDN modem"). If you buy this solution from us, we
will provide full customer support. If you are interested in other ISDN
equipment, you can check out our
ISDN Hardware List to
see if your equipment is compatible with our network.
- Can I use my existing ISDN equipment with your service?
- If you already have ISDN equipment it will most likely be interoperable
with our network, but we will provide full support for our bundled solution
only. You can check out our
ISDN Hardware List to
see if your equipment is compatible with our network.
- Do you support 2 B-channel (2-B) connections?
- Initially, you will need to set-up your equipment configuration
options for a 2-B connection. We plan to offer dynamic
2-B connections when the Bandwidth Allocation Control Protocol
(BACP) is available. BACP enables you to automatically connect
and disconnect a second B channel connection as you need it (for
example, when you are downloading a large file). That means you'll
save money because you're only paying for the second B channel
connection when you actually need it.
BACP is a transmission protocol that is being developed by ISDN equipment manufacturers. It is expected to be finalized later soon. We plan to support BACP in our network as soon as it is available.
- Do you support call-back?
- Many customers who want to run a Web site at their facilities
would like their Internet Service Provider to support a call-back
feature (that is, we would call you and set up the ISDN call when
someone wants to look at your Web site). We do not plan to support
this feature at the time of our product introduction.
- Do you support ISDN Primary Rate connections?
- Currently, Primary Rate (23B+D) is not being considered as a service offering.
Availability and Pricing
- Where is your ISDN Internet access available?
- Our ISDN service is available via a local call to over 350 communities
covering an estimated 75% of all households in California. Check our dial-up
Dial-Up
Access Number Calculator for the network access site closest to you and
the most current listing of our access sites statewide.
- How can I find out if ISDN phone service is available in my area?
- You can check Pacific Bell ISDN phone service availability by calling 1-800-4PB-ISDN from a touch-tone phone. You will be asked to enter the area code and prefix of the location where you want ISDN service.
- How much does your ISDN Internet access cost?
- We offer both monthly and yearly pricing plans for unlimited use of 128K ISDN Internet access every month. For details of the plans we offer, click here.
- I live in GTE territory, can I still get Internet access and ISDN?
- Unfortunately, we cannot provision your ISDN line if you live in GTE territory. You have to go to GTE to get your line installed We can, however, provide you Internet access.
General Product Information
- Is ISDN Internet access for business or consumers?
- ISDN access is primarily for consumers and small to medium-size
businesses. However, many larger businesses use ISDN Internet
access for remote access and telecommuting applications.
Pacific Bell Internet Services offers ISDN Internet access for single users and for multiple users connected to a LAN using our new affordable LAN ISDN Internet access service. For more information on our new LAN ISDN service, please contact us at sales@pacbell.net.
- Why is the speed of ISDN sometimes referred to as 56 kbps, 64 kbps, 112 kbps, 128 kbps or even 144 kbps?
- While most of Pacific Bell's central office switches are capable
of "clear channel coding" which supports 64 kbps per
B channel, a few older switches only support 56 kbps per B-channel.
Many ISDN devices allow you to aggregate two B-channels for a
total of 128 kbps, or if you are on an older switch 115 kbps.
The ISDN protocol actually supports a third 16 kbps channel (D-channel)
for network signalling, so the total line speed is 144 kbps.
The type of ISDN device you use will also impact speed since some devices only support a single B-channel at 64 kbps or even 56 kbps.
- Why are you offering an ISDN Terminal Adapter (TA) solution instead of a router solution?
- Our dial-up ISDN service is designed to support the single
home or business user and the ISDN TA is a very cost-effective,
easy-to-use solution. Typically, the ISDN TA connects your computer's
serial port to the ISDN line, much like a standard modem connects
your computer to a phone line. In fact, to your computer the ISDN
TA looks just like a fast modem.
Our LAN ISDN service offers a bundled solution including an ISDN router to support static IP addressing and multiple users in a LAN environment.
- What is xDSL and how does it compare to ISDN?
-
xDSL refers to a set of emerging Digital Subscriber Line technologies
that provide a high speed, dedicated digital circuit over a standard
telephone line. It can provide bandwidth of up to 6 Mbps downstream
(to the customer) and up to 640 kbps upstream (from the customer)
depending on the specific technology used.
In general, xDSL will complement ISDN by meeting the needs of customers who want to transmit at speeds faster than ISDN. An important difference is that ISDN is a switched service allowing you to call different locations such as your Internet Service Provider, corporate LAN, or third party databases. In contrast, at this point, xDSL is a point-to-point, dedicated service so it connects you to only one other location (for example, your Internet Service Provider).
Pacific Bell Internet Services offers ADSL services in a variety of different speeds.
In the meantime, Pacific Bell offers ISDN service to over 95% of homes and businesses in our territory, and we offer ISDN Internet access from all of our local dial-up access points statewide. And for businesses and other customers who need a higher speed connection to the Internet, we currently offer dedicated access from 56 kbps up to 45 Mbps.
- What about TV cable companies offering Internet access at speeds even faster than ISDN?
-
Several cable companies around the country are testing fast Internet access
using cable modem technology. Because this technology requires significant
upgrades to the cable system, deployment of services has been much slower
than anticipated, and standards are still being developed. Some cable
companies are offering the service on a commercial basis, but only in a
few neighborhoods where the system has been upgraded.
In the meantime, Pacific Bell offers ISDN service to over 95% of homes and businesses in our territory, and we offer ISDN Internet access from all of our local dial-up access points statewide. And for businesses or other customers who need a higher speed connection to the Internet, we offer dedicated access from 56 kbps up to 45 Mbps.
- Where can I learn more about ISDN?
- For more information about ISDN technology check out Pacific Bell's ISDN User Guide.