VRTS - DSL play, like this after the FCC ruling. Several of you pointed out seq. growth was not real hot but with the recent rule could change the game in how to play this. Add it to the DSL watch list!
September 3, 1999
VIRATA CORP (VRTA)
S-1 Filing (SEC form S1)
Virata provides communications processors which are combined with a comprehensive suite of software for digital subscriber
line equipment manufacturers. These tightly integrated products enable our customers to develop a diverse range of digital
subscriber line, or DSL, equipment including modems, gateways and routers targeted at the broadband access market. We
believe our systems expertise, products and support services enable DSL equipment manufacturers to simplify product
development, speed time-to-market and focus resources on product differentiation.
Significant growth in demand for broadband access is being driven by consumers and business users who find current dial-up
Internet access too slow and faster frame relay or T1/E1 services too expensive. Digital subscriber line, technologies enable
service providers to offer a range of affordable broadband access services using the existing copper wire telephone
infrastructure.
To meet the demands of the rapidly growing DSL market, original equipment manufacturers, or OEMs, encounter a number of
challenges. These include evolving technical standards, an expanding range of feature expectations and shorter product life
cycles. In response to these challenges, OEMs are increasingly relying upon third party specialists to supply key technology
components including semiconductors and software. However, integration of these individual elements can be a complex, costly
and time-consuming task.
The combination of our communications processors and software replaces numerous software elements and semiconductors
which would otherwise have to be sourced from multiple vendors and then integrated and tested. Our standards compliant
products are based on a flexible architecture that:
. simplifies the addition of features;
. can be used with a range of third party DSL physical layer transceivers;
and
. offers compelling price/performance.
By adopting our solutions, our customers enjoy numerous benefits including:
. faster time-to-market;
. reduced product cost;
. opportunity to focus their engineering resources on product
differentiation;
. ability to design multiple products using different subsets of our
modular software; and
. re-use of software extensions they develop on future generations of
their products.
Our objective is to be the leading supplier of communications processors and
integrated software to broadband access OEMs. We intend to achieve this
objective by:
. initially focusing on DSL markets;
. leveraging our flexible semiconductor and software architectures to
introduce an expanding range of communications processors and software
modules;
. licensing our software to all our customers; and
. pursuing strategic acquisitions.
We outsource the manufacturing of our semiconductors, which allows us to focus our resources on the design, development
and marketing of our products. To date we have licensed our software to 27 companies. These customers have developed, or
are developing, 74 designs of which 28 are currently shipping. Leading DSL customers include Netopia, Orckit
Communications and Westell Technologies. In July 1998, we completed the acquisition of RSA Communications, our first
strategic acquisition.
Our commercial, financial and operations headquarters are in Santa Clara, California. Research and development facilities and
sales offices are located in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Cambridge, England. |
