The Sprint Integrated On-Demand Network (ION)

by Prototype Zero  (prototype0@collegeclub.com)

Recently I happened upon a lot of information on Sprint's new ION technology.

I decided to share this info with my community.  ION stands for Integrated On-Demand Network.  The basic idea of ION is to provide customers with unlimited numbers of phone lines, etc.  The system works by dynamically allocating bandwidth to the places it is needed.  You can pick up another extension in your home and link in to a conversation already going on, or make another call as if you had two phone lines, or more.  No problems with paying for extra lines for your modem, fax, etc.  You pay Sprint monthly by how much bandwidth you consumed.  That could get pricey.  Not to mention you could be constantly connected to the Internet as if through a T1.

Sprint has teamed up with Bellcore and Cisco, and are planning to sell their equipment through RadioShack, who already carries a wide variety of Sprint products.  Bellcore is providing the central software framework for ION's network, in addition to providing consultant services to ensure reliability of the new network.  Cisco will provide critical hardware for the system, both in the CO and the home/business.  They will also provide the ability of voice over Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) and the ability to connect to other carriers' legacy circuit-switched networks.

Several companies have committed to using ION, including Coastal States Management, Ernst & Young, Hallmark, Silicon Graphics, and Tandy.  (Hey, remember back in the 1980s when McDonald's volunteered to test ISDN?)  The city-wide networks were deployed (to the best of my knowledge) last fall in Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Denver, and New York.

The reason these cities were chosen as the initial city networks was because of the existing conditions resident in each of them, including broadband Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) and strong customer bases.  Sprint claims its ION lines can carry as many calls as Sprint, AT&T, and MCI currently carry put together.  Mmhmm...

Here's how it works: The nationwide Sprint fiber optic network is connected to service nodes which in turn connect to the MANs.  The fiber optic network is connected to the Internet and other data networks.  The MANs connect homes and small and large businesses all over the city.  Every residence/business would have a central hub which connects them to the MAN.  A diagram provided by Sprint shows a home having a fax machine, a computer, and a hone line connected to a hub which as a direct line to the MAN.  The general layout of the network is a star topology, with the fiber optic network at the center.

The Future

We can only wait to find out the future of this emerging technology.

I will write another article on the possible hackability of ION when the technology becomes more commonplace (especially when I get to use it).  The idea of an extremely Wide Area Network (WAN) sounds very interesting (Hmm, how 'bout that Network Neighborhood?), and if the network becomes a commonplace weeny it's our job to find out all about it.

It would seem slightly scary to have your phone/fax/modem all hooked into the same line and controlled by the telco.  Would you have a choice of ISPs?  What are the possibilities for wiretapping?  Or packet sniffing?  We'll see soon.

My thanks to Vegeta125 for getting me a lot of info on ION, Bioweapon, Cheshire, and Crunchman for reviewing the article.