DSL Dead Surfing Link
 

AT&T shelving DSL may leave hundreds of thousands hanging by a phone line

One of America’s largest internet providers is uploading its oldest broadband technology into the sunset.

On Oct. 1, AT&T stopped selling digital-subscriber-line connections, stranding many existing subscribers on those low-speed links and leaving new residents of DSL-only areas without any wired broadband.

“We’re beginning to phase out outdated services like DSL and new orders for the service will no longer be supported after October 1,” a corporate statement sent beforehand read. “Current DSL customers will be able to continue their existing service or where possible upgrade to our 100% fiber network.”

DSL – a broadband connection delivered over old copper telephone lines – is no prize at AT&T. The company doesn’t sell downloads faster than 6 Mbps, less than a fourth of the 25-Mbps minimum definition of the Federal Communications Commission and further cramps their utility with stringent data caps of just 150 gigabytes.

“I'm really not surprised that AT&T is phasing out DSL, as it's an obsolete technology,” emailed one soon-be-stranded DSL subscriber, retiree Jack Mangold of Collettsville, North Carolina. “I am, however, very disappointed that AT&T has no interest in replacing DSL in rural areas with some other technology.”

AT&T reported 653,000 total DSL connections at the end of its second quarter, compared to 14.48 million on its fiber-optic and hybrid-fiber services. The latter, sold as “AT&T Internet,” combines fiber trunk lines with DSL last-mile connections for faster speeds.

The company has seen DSL subscribers steadily dwindle. Bruce Leichtman, president and principal analyst at the research firm Leichtman Research Group, wrote in an email that two years ago, AT&T had just over a million DSL customers.

“AT&T basically gave up on fighting cable over a third of its territory” said Dave Burstein, editor of the trade publication Fast Net News.

https://i.chzbgr.com/full/1207103232...stalled-my-dsl

that's the only option we have out here.

well, i guess i could look into Hughes Net, via satellite dish....

our's is thru Century Link, local phone company, but it still sucks.

They stopped offering it here years ago. :shrug:

I had it where I am but I could do better with with U S mail and the library card system. I am now on hotspot with a whole house cell signal booster. It is not the best and I don't really have unlimited data. Data costs me.

5G is going to replace a lot of the existing hard-wired ISP distribution schemes.










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My burb here built in '72 and so ATT dug the wires down our back property lines, underground feeds for about a miles worth of twisted pairs.....and then commiecrap came in a strung their coax around the power poles, and ATT is basically outta the game....in spite of them updating the feeds to the major nodes in the burb....

and their Sat TV is just crap with all the clouds/rain/storms/cains it's over the TV there...more dropouts than a HS prom.....and I have tried two different Sat hookups in the back yard on poles that I finally cut down, as it's just crap.....
even aimed at two different sats.....can't win.....

AND now today our power was on/off about 6 times this morning, so the electronics was all upset.....and so to get hold of Netgear about my 7000 router download.....and yet another 'update' fat chance that will improve the dropouts......I got more damn dropouts than a HS prom.....


:issues:

My dad's in the same boat in Jefferson City, MO. Only option he has is DSL. I can tell you that if you have to go to satellite, you'll hate it. The latency is terrible (ping times at best perhaps 0.25 seconds, usually way worse than that.) And the upload speed is slower than 1995 dial-up speeds.

I was the GM of the DSL supplier to AT&T along with Fiber and VDSL. It's not due to equipment as they have hundred of millions of lines worth. Wireline and twisted pair is dead with people dropping phone lines etc. If the density does not meet a % take rate to sustain cost of operations. While it looks like cable might win - Wireless kicked everybody's ass

Wife and I are in a new house built in 2015 that has fiber. We are with AT&T, but it took them 2 years before my fiber was active since their hardware was not ready yet.

Hardware for Fiber (CO and Remote ONU) has always been available and is 12% of total cost to connect your home to fiber. More than likely all fiber segments, splices, junction boxes, connectors/ splitters to build the fiber path and the ditch work

I'm on AT&T because cable would have had to install an amp just to get from the road to my house which they declined to do. I won't hook them up now even if they offer their service free for life. I guess if push comes to shove I will be forced to purchase a smart phone and join the new age just so I can hang out here.