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The end of fiber-optic?
Here comes very bad news for Verizon and the cable companies: A new technology called DSM, or Dynamic Spectrum Management, could allow ordinary copper telephone wires to transmit data at gigabit speeds, GigaOm reports. Call it DSL on steroids: DSM solves problems with electromagnetic interference in copper lines that has been the biggest obstacle in souping them up for ultra-high-speed Internet connections.

Such a development could obviate the billions of dollars Verizon is spending on a new fiber-optic network. It also poses a threat to cable companies, which may not be able to upgrade their hybrid coax networks to gigabit speeds as cheaply as phone companies could with DSM. AT&T's move to slow down its fiber rollout looks prescient in light of the potential DSM threat.
Posted by Owen Thomas 12:06 PM 0 Comments comment | Add a Comment

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