[ SuperComm.. Last two paragraphs talk about AMTX ]
Often billed as the quintessential switching show, this year's Supercomm in New Orleans is no different. It promises to pull out all the stops by introducing a slew of new products that address frequent themes in the data communications world--asymmetrical digital subscriber line technology, Internet access, core switching and transmission, and end-to-end networking.
Alcatel Network Systems plans to announce an ADSL field trial with an unnamed telco. The vendor also will debut Release 2.2 of the 1000 ADSL product, which will ship to customers in the second half of 1997. Among them is the consortium of four Bell regional holding companies that awarded Alcatel Telecom a contract in December 1996 for ADSL modems and related equipment. The enhancement includes improved shelf dimensions and bit rates, as well as standard 4.3 kHz tone spacing.
Saft Nife, a sister company to Alcatel, will highlight 25- and 50-amp rectifier modules. The 25-amp equipment, which is used with the DPA 767 DC distribution power plant, is convection-cooled and designed to work in harsh environments. It is used in personal communication services networks and as the front end of power support for the microwave world, says Larry Bush, telecommunications customer service specialist for Saft Nife.
Orckit Communications will introduce what it bills as the world's first ADSL modem that can run simultaneously with ISDN services over the same line. The modem provides the same 8 Mb/s ADSL downstream transmission over ISDN as it does over regular telephone lines. A new type of passive ISDN splitter is the key, says Nigel Cole, vice president of new business development. The splitter enables parallel and transparent transmission of both ADSL and ISDN over twisted pair and provides an ISDN backup system. If ISDN fails, it has no effect on ADSL signals, and vice versa. "Instead of having the telephony at low frequencies, we can tolerate ISDN at the low frequencies," Cole says.
Orckit is also releasing its FastInternet concentration card. The card concentrates traffic from ADSL and symmetrical DSL (SDSL) modem cards in a central office shelf to one high-speed interface, eliminating the need for external concentration devices and for a router port for each ADSL modem.
Fujitsu Network Communications will begin reselling Orckit's FastInternet DSL broadband access system and other DSL products by June. The two also will work to integrate Orckit's DSL technology into Fujitsu's Factr Sonet access and transport platform for an end-to-end broadband system solution.
Since its introduction at Supercomm '96, the Fastlane family of local area network interconnection products has offered carriers new types of service offerings and revenue sources beyond traditional telephony. The integrated functionality of an Ethernet router is new to Fastlane, building on its LAN bridging capability. Fastlane offers an interface for Fujitsu's FLM 150 add/drop multiplexer (ADM) and Factr Sonet products.
The Fetex-150 ESP's graphical network management system enables centralized collection of alarms from the installed switches and provisioning of permanent virtual circuits via point-and-click control. The scalable system features configuration, fault, security and performance management as well as optional redundancy, in an open systems environment.
3Com and Pulsecom are partnering to offer a packet-based, broadband DSL system that offers universal Internet access and remote connectivity. The system, which had yet to be named at press time, includes the user's modem and splitter as well as the network access provider's concentrator, splitter and DSL access multiplexer (DSLAM).
Separately, 3Com will show off its Internet access devices--the AccessBuilder 8000 family--for Internet service providers and carriers. The 8000 series has analog and ISDN access for concentrating traffic that enters the point of presence (POP). The company also will present its time division multiplexed solutions--the 6100 and 6200--and asynchronous transfer mode access concentrators.
Last year, 3Com acquired OnStream Networks, a wide area network access company, to develop a stronger presence in the carrier market. That acquisition included ATM products such as an ATM multiservices access platform, now dubbed the AccessBuilder 9600, which will be on display at Supercomm.
PairGain Technologies will demonstrate eight categories of products and highlight four partnership applications at Supercomm. The products include the HiGain systems that telcos use to provide digital transmission links at T-1 (1.544 Mb/s) speeds over copper wire; PG-Plus, a small-capacity subscriber carrier system based on high-bit-rate DSL (HDSL) technology that can support up to 24 or 32 channels on two copper lines; and Megabit access products designed to provide solutions for high-speed data transmission for Internet access and telecommuting.
PairGain's AccessGate also lets service providers deploy DSL services, while the AccessHub works with the AccessGate to act as a low-cost DSLAM.
Among service providers using PairGain modems is HarvardNet, a Boston-based ISP that is competing against the local telco to offer high-speed Internet connections. MCI is testing PairGain's Megabit modems in a LAN-intensive call center application, a high-speed Internet access service and a telecommuting application.
Performance Telecom will demonstrate the Champion and CopperAccel ADSL modem systems, as well as the CopperCluster DSL Gateway. CopperCluster is a high-density DSL modem concentrator that incorporates both carrierless amplitude/phase modulation and discrete multitone modems, 100BaseT WAN and ATM OC-3 (155 Mb/s) broadband network interfaces.
The company also will demonstrate its Champion single-pair HDSL and SDSL equipment, as well as DSL modems with ISDN compatibility that support European and North American digital standards.
Sourcecom promises an announcement about integrating its Banc 6000 with ADSL modem technology. No details were available at press time. The company also will demonstrate combined transmission and modem technology, along with the Banc 6000, which is credited with being the first integrated LAN/WAN frame relay and cell switching and routing access product.
U.S. Robotics will demonstrate user-side modems and telco-side modems and concentrators. On the user side, Viper-DSL is a multiuser ADSL modem for an Ethernet PC or PC LAN. It is designed for small businesses, extending corporate intranets to branch offices and bringing Internet access to the home.
Viper-DSL's counterpart is the new AxCell dual-channel modem card, which lets telcos concentrate up to 32 ADSL lines in a U.S. Robotics Total Control chassis.
Motorola's Semiconductor Products Sector will feature a passive ISDN terminal adapter reference design. The plug-and-play design is ISA-compatible and performs ISDN call control services on a PC processor. The company also will showcase ISDN products, Motorola evaluation boards and third-party reference designs.
Sourcecom and Motorola recently announced a strategic alliance to generate a standards-based design for a low-cost ADSL board, code-named Alchemy. Motorola will supply its CopperGold ADSL transceivers, while Sourcecom will provide its Innerware internetworking software.
Amati will announce its latest ADSL discrete multitone-based modem, the Overture 8. Model 810 is smaller, has a new design and is rate adaptive. The company also will show its new plug-in card that doubles the density of the Allegro DSLAM modem shelf.
The Overture 8 modems and Allegro data/video access concentrator will exemplify a Supercomm demonstration of video and data over a single ADSL connection, as well as broadcast-quality TV, video-on-demand, distance learning and Internet access over ADSL. Amati expects to start seeing volume ADSL deployment in 1998. |
