ISDN (integrated digital services network) has had a long and chequered history, but after a decade of disappointment it appears finally to be coming of age.
For a long time it seemed ISDN was a technology without a use, and cynics in the industry quickly called it 'Innovations Subscribers Don't Need'.
But now communications and computing hardware have advanced to the point where they can take advantage of the capabilities that ISDN has to offer.
In Hong Kong, where we enjoy the advantages of an all-digital network, establishing an ISDN connection is as easy as falling off a log. With ISDN come the advantages of increased network bandwidth - such bliss as super-fast downloads and video-conferencing that gets beyond the jerky, blurred images that have become all too commonplace.
All we need now is competition to drive down the price of an ISDN connection.
In the United States ISDN is more commonplace (though, admittedly, not available in all areas). In places like San Francisco, the cost of an ISDN connection is about US$25 (about HK$193) per month.
