Fighting NYNEX Prices, the PM2/BRI Approach

Jack Kilday (jkilday@server.nlbbs.com)
Fri, 11 Apr 1997 12:55:26 -0400 (EDT)

Here's some numbers that might be of interest. I reported here a couple
of weeks ago my disappointment at the $1943/month NYNEX charge in this
area (Portland, Maine) for ISDN PRI. Someone suggested checking into
the channelized T-1 prices. I did and they were worse by $40 a month
(essentially $2K/mo.). And so we've discarded any further thoughts of
upgrading from PM2s to PM3s. Well, how about this idea for a Poor Man's
(or, a Mom & Pop ISP's) Answer to ISDN/56K support?

(Note: Prices are per NYNEX quotes in Portland, Maine area.)

PM3/PRI Alternative
-------------------
Price per port: $9500/23 = $413
Per Port NYNEX Install: $1900/23 = 83
----
Total One-Time cost per port: $496

Monthly NYNEX Cost per port: $1943/23 = $85

PM2/BRI Alternative
-------------------
Price per port: Current street for PM2e-30, $2000/30 = $67
US Robotics ISDN I-modem = 290
Per Port NYNEX Install: ISDN BRI 141
---
Total One-Time cost per port: $498

Monthly NYNEX Cost per port: ISDN BRI = $56 (no measured service
charge when hosting calls)

Conclusions
-----------
At 2/3 the ongoing monthly cost per "line", a PM2 equipped with USR
I-Modems can provide on each "line" ISDN connections to 115K or USR's
"x2 56K" connections. The "per port" one-time costs are about the same,
but the PM2/BRI approach allows speeds to 115kb on any single line,
while the PM3/PRI approach allows speeds to 128kb if 2 lines are used.
Another way of looking at it is: 128kb max speeds possible using
resources costing $170/month in the PM3/PRI approach compared to 115kb
max speeds using resources costing $56/month in the PM2/BRI approach.

Of course, the PM2/BRI approach outlined is not going to do a thing
for cleaning up the cable monster and piles of modems in the NOC.

The PM2/BRI approach outlined above also offers a scaleable approach with
far less required up front for the Mom & Pop ISP to start dabbling in
digital connection offerings.

- Jack

Jack Kilday * jkilday@nlis.net | Maine's Premier ISP & Oldest IBM BBS
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