From: anonymized@panix.com   
      
   On 10/8/23 8:14 AM, Marco Moock wrote:   
      
      
   > What are exactly these ISDN boxes referred in the article?   
      
   You seem to be describing a NT1, which converts from the 1-pair BRI from   
   the telco to the 2-part, multipoint, ST bus. The phones and routers were   
   on that ST bus.   
      
   But here, many ISDN installations used a single box with both parts   
   within it; it terminated the BRI, and also provided a router and/or POTS   
   jack.   
      
   The outside box might have been a NT1, or more likely the overvoltage   
   "protecter" on any line entering a building. It shunts a lightning   
   spike, etc. to ground.   
      
   Unlike the EU, US ISDN was an overall failure. It got use in several   
   specific markets; it was popular for radio broadcasters on remote   
   broadcasts, offering dual dependable, noise-free circuits without   
   expensive point-to-point leased circuits. Classical music stations loved   
   it.   
      
   Other users include large Centrex accounts. ('Centrex' was a PBX-like   
   telco offering, offering 4-digit dialing within the company, and each   
   phone has its own 10 digit number. The switching was done by the Central   
   Office switch.) ISDN Centrex allowed phones with multiple-line buttons,   
   and other features. Centrex was very popular with US Government offices   
   in the DC region, because many agencies are sprawled over multiple   
   buildings, yet every fellow employee was a 4-digit dial away.   
      
   But residential ISDN phone service was not a success here; the Bells   
   regarded it as a premium service, and priced it as one. It was used for   
   Internet dialup, as its 64Kbs was better than a 28.8Kbs modem; it was   
   soon surpassed by DSL and Cable modem data.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)