[Tfug] Dilemma: Qwest or Comcast?

[Harry McGregor]

A lot of people don't understand how DSL with Qwest works.

Qwest (the telco) operates the physical and link layers of the network 
(layer 1 and layer 2).

This network tends to use PPPoA to link the customer to the customer's 
ISP.  Some providers are still using an Ethernet bridged mode (Ethernet 
transported over ATM).  Qwest the telco runs the ATM network, and the 
DSL network.  ISP/Corporate connections into this network used to be 
called "MegaCentral"  I don't know if Qwest is still calling it that or not.

Now steps in Qwest.NET (an ISP), they service Qwest DSL customers (and 
some dialup, and other non-regulated services).  I would not be 
surprised if Qwest.NET is a totally separate corporation owned by 
qwest.  The purpose of Qwest.NET is to provide IP Transport for DSL 
customers.  Qwest.NET is not the only ISP that provides these services, 
but they tend to be one of the cheapest.

Later Qwest (the telco) learned that they could make more money by 
charging Microsoft to have access to the Qwest DSL customers than they 
could make from their Qwest.NET ISP.  If you ask, you can still get 
Qwest.NET service, but they try and push you to MSN when they can, or 
when you don't ask.

Other "local" ISPs also can provide IP transport services (and other ISP 
related services) on the Qwest DSL network, but as they have to pay for 
the connection into the network, and the IP transit services, their 
costs tend to be higher.  You usually get the benefit of local support, 
and technical people you can actually reach.  I don't know how much of 
this is true anymore, as my opinion of Dakatacom dropped a fair amount 
when Jon Shay left.  They may have improved since then, but I have not 
dealt with them much since then.

USWest's/Qwests original concept of the DSL service setup was that 
corporate users could also by MegaCentral access, and could pay to have 
a PVC (permanent virtual circuit) on their user's home DSL connections, 
thus providing simpler work at home access solutions.

This did not pan out, as it turned out that the overhead of VPN 
(encaspulating TCP/IP traffic in either TCP or UDP packets) was not so 
harsh for it to be practical, and that the compuational requirements of 
VPN encryption almost vanished due to increases in processing power.

Now how does this connect with an AOL/Qwest customer having Qwest 
routes, and not touching AOL except for access to AOL resources?  
Simple, AOL is giving Qwest more of the $, and is having Qwest provide 
the IP transport, and unlike earlier AOL Broadband options, they are not 
forcing the default route via their "VPN" software.  It does not make 
sense for AOL to acquire megacentral access (most likely DS3 level) in 
each city they service via Qwest, and then also purchase IP bandwidth, 
or pull in connectivity to their own network, when for a small fee Qwest 
will do it for them.

This is the model AOL uses for their dialup customers, they our source 
the modem pools via PSI Net (now part of Level 3), UUNet (now part of 
Verizon Business), and others.  The customer authenticates, and then the 
traffic is backhauled to AOL.  I believe they are now experimenting with 
not backhauling all of the traffic, and paying the modem pool providers 
for ip transit.  I have tried to stay as far away from AOL as I can, so 
I can't say that I have actually tested this recently.

                               Harry