Companies rev up comm speeds with DSL wares
By Stacy Lavilla and Scott Berinato
A forthcoming crop of communications hardware will provide a diverse set of options for users of DSL technology.
ADSL (asymmetric digital subscriber line) technology, which transfers data at 1.5M bps downstream and 640K bps upstream over copper wires, was the focus of early DSL implementers. Now, vendors are turning to HDSL (high-bit-rate DSL), which offers 3M bps downstream and 1.28M bps upstream, and VDSL (very-high-data-rate DSL), with data rates of 52M bps downstream and 5.2M bps upstream.
Aware Inc., of Bedford, Mass., will ship in the third quarter an HDSL modem. In the first quarter of 1998, Aware will release two varieties of VDSL adapters: One will feature 52M-bps downstream speeds over 1,000 feet, and one will offer 26M bps over 3,000 feet. All three will cost less than $1,000.
Other iterations of DSL include RADSL (rate-adaptive DSL), which automatically sends the maximum data rate a copper line can support, and symmetric DSL, which provides 2M bps in both directions.
Other companies rolling out DSL products include:
Amati Communications Corp., of San Jose, Calif., will introduce next month the sub-$2,000 Overture 810 ADSL modem, which provides data rates of 8M bps downstream and 640K bps upstream.
Performance Telecommunications Corp., of Rochester, N.Y., shipped last week its $650 Champion Single-line DSL modem.
NetSpeed Inc., of Austin, Texas, is shipping its $1,695 SpeedRunner 200 RADSL modem. |
