As we left off the last newsletter, we left with the statement that implementing T-1/E-1 networks could typically save a company enough money to pay for the new equipment – and introduce significantly enhanced features – in less than six months. Indeed, this was the beginning of a major shift to premises-based networks.
Several companies were leaders in this market space. Timeplex and Network Equipment Technologies (N.E.T.) were usually considered to be the cream of the crop. Stratacom (later acquired by Cisco) offered a unique packet-switched option. And NewBridge came along a bit later and commoditized the market.
Nevertheless, implementing these new networks was definitely non-trivial. And while there were various types of training classes, seminars, articles and books, the “road show” was a genre all to itself in terms of educating the mass market of corporate planners to the advantages that they could realize by taking the BYOB (Be Your Own Bell) approach. And the road show was (and still is) a major communications medium for “educational marketing.” After all, if you learned about all of the great features from a given company, then you naturally had a special affinity for that company.
It was in these road shows that people actually learned about voice quality at a lower bit rate than the 64kbps PCM standard. Issues like the difference between SF and ESF were explained. Management issues were discussed, and we actually dug deeply into TDM framing formats showing how a company could get the most bang for the buck out of literally each bit-per-second.
And while the “road show” was far short of a “medicine show,” there also was a component of showmanship.
Last September, we lost one of the greatest leaders in this genre, Alan Spiegleman. As a “T1 evangelist” for Timeplex, he arguably taught more people about T-1 networks and saved corporate America more money than any other individual in the history of our industry. He brought us technical terminology that we all stole (and he might have), like the “stressed polyester data link,” also known as two tin cans with a string between them.
As technology moved on, so did Al. We had in-depth conversations to share where the industry was – or should be – going. He was an advocate of SMDS. In reality, it was probably a better technical solution than frame relay. But it didn’t win the marketing wars. And I clearly remember our discussions of voice over frame relay. He told me that it would never be a success until the corporate network could deliver voice for under five cents per minute. Well, VoIP beat both of our predictions there.
So even though the latter part of this column might seem to be about Al, that’s not the real point. It’s about history and learning from it. There is no ultimate network or networking technology. Each has its own place in the continuum of technology development.
Remember that nothing is really “new.” And the next generation of networkers will do well to study the basics and make sure they understand the building blocks on which the next whiz-bang technology is built. And don’t forget your mentors. None of us were “born smart.”
