Pacific Bell Inc, Southwestern Bell Corp, BellSouth Corp, and The Vendors’ ISDN Association Inc, have announced ISDN services that will enable the use of the ISDN D-Channel, taking advantage of the structure of ISDN to use electronic-mail and other light traffic such as push technology services to be transferred without using either of the two 64Kbps main channels. Currently in beta test, the Always On/Dynamic ISDN will enable users to use the signaling channel the D-channel to deliver data packets, thereby leaving the main channels undisturbed. Over the ‘D’ channel of the ISDN line, the user establishes a 16Kbps-packet connection to a remote Local Area Network or an Internet Service Provider. A user creates this bi-directional connection when he logs on to his work-at-home computer and electronic mail package. Once the connection is established, the user is on-line and can exchange packets with the remote network as required. When there is more information to transfer than can be handled by the packet connection, a circuit-switched connection (telephone call) is placed using one or both of the ISDN ‘B’ channels. This connection can be made automatically and without user intervention, and permits data to move at speeds up to 128 Kbps. Once the data transfer is complete, the circuit-switched connection is dropped and the user remains on-line via the D- Channel. So far there is no date set for making the technology available neither is there any word on pricing. The technology has the backing of Pacific Bell, Southwestern Bell and BellSouth as well as the members of the Vendors’ Internet Association, which includes 3Com Corp, Bay Networks Inc, Cisco Systems Inc and others. Products to support the service are expected from association members in the fourth quarter. Pacific Bell also says it will start offering before the end of the year.
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