Library users in Rhode Island may soon notice that they can search for books online or surf the Internet on library computers much faster than they can today. Rhode Island’s Cooperating Libraries Automated Network has tapped a pair of Massachusetts companies to give the Ocean State’s library sites a boost of online speed this summer, mainly through Digital Subscriber Line–DSL technology.
DSL technology allows users to surf the Internet at high speeds over regular copper telephone wires. The service requires a special DSL modem on the library’s end of the phone line and a similar piece of equipment on the other end of the line in Bell Atlantic’s central office, where telephone calls are routed to other local central offices or long-distance carriers for completion.
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But the technology does have its limitations. Today, DSL service is generally limited to locations within about three miles of the central office.
Of the state’s 73 library and branch locations, about 40 should be close enough to a central office to use DSL, said Peter Bennett, assistant director of support services for Providence Public Library and a CLAN system and network administrator. The more remote locations will be served by other fast-access technologies.
The kind of DSL connections planned for the state’s libraries are capable of receiving about 1.5 megabits of data per second, or roughly 50 times faster than a standard dial-up connection.
”It allows us to expand our Internet access considerably,” Bennett said. “Previously, we had 56K lines, which are fine for our library automation system, but it really starts to choke up when you have PCs accessing the Internet.”
The 56-kilobit-per-second lines will continue to carry most library data traffic, but computers will be linked to the Internet via the faster DSL lines. The faster access speeds will allow libraries and branches to have more Internet computers and to subscribe to online databases that are impractical at current connection speeds, Bennett said.
The CLAN high-speed Internet access contract is split between Digital Broadband Communications Inc. of Waltham, Mass., and Boston-based HarvardNet.
“We found that each could provide better service at different locations,” said Virginia Taken, executive director of CLAN.
Digital Broadband is a new entrant into Rhode Island’s increasingly crowded field of DSL providers. HarvardNet moved into the Ocean State in January. The company offers its DSL service to businesses in parts of 14 Rhode Island cities and towns including Providence.
Digital Broadband plans to have its DSL equipment installed in 15 central offices by next month and all 25 in the state by the end of the year, said Marilyn Siderwicz, vice president of marketing.
The company is focused on large corporate and government customers with multiple locations. Siderwicz said the DSL and other equipment being installed in central offices to serve 48 libraries and branches will also be used to serve other Rhode Island customers.
“We are technology-agnostic, so we will attach a customer to our network using any technology,” she said.
In Massachusetts, Digital Broadband won a contract in January to provide high-speed Internet access to a network of Bay State public schools, libraries, city offices and state agencies.
HarvardNet officials couldn’t be reached by press time.
HarvardNet’s basic $150-a-month DSL package for businesses is capable of sending and receiving files at a speed of 144 kilobits per second. A two-page word processing file is about 50 kilobits in size. The company’s fastest service costs just under $500 a month and can received data at a rate of 1.5 megabits per second.
Among the other competitors that have installed DSL equipment in various Bell Atlantic central offices here are NorthPoint Communications Inc. of San Francisco; Log On America Inc. of Providence; DSL.net Inc. of New Haven, Conn.; Choice One Communications of Rochester, N.Y.; and Network Plus Inc. of Quincy, Mass.
Another national DSL provider, Rhythms NetConnections Inc. of Englewood, Colo., is expected to move into Rhode Island later this year. One of the largest DSL companies, Covad Communications Group Inc. of Santa Clara, Calif., also plans to expand into Rhode Island this year.
