<A> Analog Devices Acquires MediaLight, Inc. to Extend ADSL Solution to PC Desktop; Complements ADSL technology developed by Aware, Inc.
(from biz.yahoo.com )
NORWOOD, Mass., Dec. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Analog Devices, Inc. today announced the purchase of MediaLight, Inc., a market-leading innovator of personal computer telecommunications interface products using Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) technology. MediaLight will become part of Analog Devices' Communications Division.
The acquisition fully extends Analog Devices' ADSL offering from the telephone companies' central office directly to the users' computer, for the highest speed Internet access available. ADSL allows data
transmission over existing telephone lines at 8 Mbps, or 60 times faster than ISDN and 200 times faster than 33.6 kbps voice-channel modems. Interest in high-speed Internet access is spurring demand for
ADSL.
MediaLight, a privately held firm based in Toronto, Canada, has broken new ground in ADSL-related communications since its founding in 1994. Among its numerous and notable ''firsts'' is an advanced ADSL connection management system for ATM and Frame Relay running under either Windows 95 or Windows NT operating systems. This connection management system features a highly effective graphical user interface (GUI). In addition, the company is a leader in offering PPP and IP over ATM, HDLC or Frame Relay technology.
''By combining MediaLight's efforts in PC interface for ADSL with the work Analog Devices is doing with its software and technology development partner Aware, we are now able to offer a more complete
solution to data communications, telecommunications and PC equipment manufacturers,'' said Russ Johnsen, vice president and general manager of Analog Devices' Communications Division. ''We will provide a proven and effective solution, comprised of a complete reference design of DMT-based hardware, software, networking protocol interface and drivers that all work in the PC. Also, MediaLight-developed interface circuitry will complement the ADI/Aware ADSL chipset, improving system
costs and time-to-market effectiveness.''
Analog Devices' is a driving force in advancing DMT standards-based ADSL, having recently begun shipping in production volumes the AD20msp910 ADSL chipset.
''We have joined with Analog Devices to develop a family of world-beating products and systems that will excite the mass markets for emerging communications technologies like ADSL and cable modems,'' said Michael Mooradian, founder and president of MediaLight. ''Both organizations share a philosophy toward building successful products around standards. This attention to standards ensures end-to-end
interoperability, far fewer problems encountered by service providers, and more productive and trouble-free user experiences.''
About Analog Devices
With sales of $1.2 billion for fiscal 1997, Analog Devices (NYSE: ADI - news) is a leading manufacturer of precision high-performance integrated circuits used in analog and digital signal processing applications. Analog's Communications Division focuses on products for wireless and broadband wired communications applications. Headquartered in Norwood, Massachusetts, the company employs
approximately 7,500 people worldwide and has manufacturing facilities in Massachusetts, California, North Carolina, Ireland, the Philippines and Taiwan.
About MediaLight
Headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, MediaLight, Inc. is a leader in developing system-level hardware and software solutions for ADSL personal computer interface. The company created the world's first PC
Network Interface Card (NIC) for ADSL, with accompanying communications protocol software, and participated in the first ADSL trials conducted with an Internet Service Provider (UUNET of Canada).
About Aware
Headquartered in Bedford, Massachusetts, Aware, Inc. (Nasdaq: AWRE - news), is a worldwide leader in xDSL technology with products that enable new broadband services over the existing telephone network. Aware's products include xDSL technology, software, development platforms, modules and modems for high- speed, interactive broadband network applications. Additional information about Aware can be found on the Internet at aware.com.
Glossary:
ADSL: Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line. A name for evolving high-speed digital signal transmission technology originally developed by Bellcore and now standardized by ANSI T1.413, ETSI TR238, and ITU G.adsl.
ATM: Asynchronous Transfer Mode. ATM is a high bandwidth, low-delay,
connection-oriented, packet-like switching and multiplexing technique
which will form the basis for future offering of broadband services.
DMT: Discrete Multi-Tone. A standards-based signal processing technology for driving more than 6 Mbps of video, data, image and voice signals over existing copper telephone wires.
HDLC: High-level Data Link Control. An ITU-TSS link layer protocol
standard for point-to-point and multi-point communications.
IP: Internet Protocol. This is the most important protocol on which the Internet is based. IP is a standard describing software that tracks internetwork addresses for different nodes, routes outgoing messages, and recognizes incoming addresses. It also allows a packet to traverse multiple networks on the way to its final destination.
ISDN: Integrated Services Digital Network. ISDN provides data rates up to 1.54 Mbps for telephone switches, computer telephony and voice processing systems.
NIC: Network Interface Card. The attachment that connects a device to a network. Usually a PC expansion board, NICs execute the code needed by the connected device to share a cable or some other media with other stations.
PPP: Point-to-Point Protocol. A protocol that allows a computer to
connect to the Internet using a standard dial-up telephone line and a high speed modem. Users then enjoy most of the benefits of a direct connection, including the ability to use graphical front ends such as Mosaic and Netscape. |
