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Tangled Web
Growing congestion on the Internet is causing problems in moreways than one. In some cases, the Internet's unrelenting growthis straining the nation's telecommunications systems, causinglocal telephone service failures. Increasingly, businesses arebecoming concerned about the Internet's speed and reliability.Fed up with never-ending busy signals, frustrated users have eventaken to referring to the slowing medium as the "World WideWait."
"Eventually, you get enough people working off one sharedswitch, and the [telephone system] just can't cope with thatmuch traffic," explains Susan Estrada, author of Connectingto the Internet (O'Reilly & Associates) and presidentand CEO of Internet publishing firm Aldea Communications inCarlsbad, California.
The problem has worsened with the advent of flat-rate feesoffering unlimited "all-you-can-eat" access (althoughcompanies such as Netcom On-Line Communication Services andCompuServe have backed away from these services in recent months).Also contributing to the snarl are changing traffic patterns, saysRobert Deward at Pacific Telesis in San Francisco. While voicetraffic has traditionally peaked at 3 p.m. for residential use and4 p.m. for business use, with the advent of Internet usage, thepeak period has widened to a four-hour stretch between 7 p.m. and11 p.m. Moreover, while the average voice call is less than fourminutes long, studies show that Internet calls usually last sixminutes.
With some saying the situation is likely to get worse before itgets better, Estrada challenges Internet service providers (ISPs)to develop usage plans tailored to small-business owners. Manyentrepreneurs may not want unlimited access, just a reliable way tosend e-mail and communicate, says Estrada.
If you're dissatisfied with the quality of serviceyou're getting, take a look at your existing plan or ISP. Itmay be worth paying a little extra for another plan or switchingproviders to ensure more dependable service.
Disc 'N' Dat
After a copyright protection agreement was finally reached lastOctober, industry watchers predict the much-anticipated release ofthe digital video disc (DVD) should occur by month's end.Experts say between three and five companies will release videoplayers (for use with TV sets) and DVD-ROM drives (for computeruse), with more companies expected to follow shortly.
What's the excitement all about? "The main advantage ofDVD is increased capacity," says Wolfgang Schlichting atInternational Data Corp., a Framingham, Massachusetts-based marketresearch company for the high-tech industry. The first DVD-ROMsexpected on the market will hold about 4.7GB of data, 133 minutesof high-quality video or roughly seven times the amount of audio ona CD-ROM. Recordable discs, or DVD-R (write-once only), are plannedfor release this summer. Early versions of rewriteable DVD-RAMs maybe out by year-end.
Still, experts caution against running out and investing in thenew technology before taking all factors into consideration.Schlichting says the initial price for a DVD-ROM player is expectedto be just below $1,000--significantly higher than current CD-ROMplayer prices. Lack of content available initially on DVD-ROM isalso anticipated to be a drawback.
Stop The Faxes
Have a nagging problem with some company tying up your fax linewith unsolicited faxes? Consider calling in the help of Fax Me Not.Fax Source Inc., a Denver-based fax broadcasting company, hascreated the service, dubbed the "fax police," to crackdown on unwanted faxes. Companies register for a flat $35 annualfee; further charges depend on the number of faxes you want removedfrom fax broadcasting lists or from other sources. Fax Me Notnotifies the offending party to stop sending you faxes--and eventakes legal action if requests are repeatedly ignored. To have asign-up sheet faxed to you, call (800) 747-1747, extension 7.
Contact Sources
Aldea Communications, P.O. Box 188125, Carlsbad, CA92009, (619) 929-1100;
International Data Corp., 5 Speen St., Framingham, MA01701, (508) 872-8200.
