CABLE VS. FIBER

In the long-running contest for the digital future, cable has been hitting home runs while the telecoms are just coming to bat. Just as the cable industry is going after telecom's bread-and-butter voice business, the Bells are about to wage war on cable's home territory: video. Their ace: Ultrafast fiber-optic networks that match or surpass the capacity of cable's digital system. On Oct. 21, Verizon Communications Inc. was expected to announce plans to build fiber systems in 6 Eastern states. A week earlier, SBC Communications Inc. said it will accelerate its $4 billion to $6 billion fiber network build-out using less expensive technology. Digging up streets and flowerbeds to install fiber is costly, ranging from $300 to more than $2,000 per home, depending on the technology, according to Carnegie Mellon University.