NHC and Orckit agree to market complete DSL solutions
Partnership will provide unique products for high-speed broadband transmissions
MONTREAL, Nov. 20 /CNW/ - NHC Communications Inc. (TSE: NHC - news) announced today that it has entered into an agreement
with Orckit Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: ORCT - news) to jointly market its ControlPoint(TM) alongside Orckit's inTENcity(TM)
Multi-Tenant Unit (MTU) IP-based product line. The agreement comes after the successful completion of interoperability tests between
the two products. The collaborative effort targets local exchange carriers (ILECs, CLECs and BLECs) by offering complete solutions and
allowing them to provide rapid, dependable and cost effective DSL solutions to their customer base.
NHC's ControlPoint(TM) solution will help both ILECs and CLECs test their portions of the copper line remotely, including critical tests
to be performed on local loops, thereby minimizing costly service overhead and reducing the immense cost associated with service
downtime. The solution works in conjunction with current splitter equipment used by the industry. As a result, users will not have to
make new capital outlays to upgrade their systems, which will reduce costs and speed up deployment of DSL services. NHC currently
markets its ControlPoint(TM) solution to CLECs and ILECs in North America and Europe and is gaining widespread industry
recognition for its leading technology.
"Our co-marketing agreement with Orckit Communications is going to open the doors for more business in the rapidly growing DSL
market," said Sylvain Abitbol, president and CEO of NHC Communications. "It is consistent with our strategy to jointly market our
products, share technologies and provide one- stop shopping to both companies' customer bases."
Orckit's eDSL inTENcity(TM) system is a unique service model for high- speed Internet access, integrating Ethernet and proven VDSL
technologies over existing telephony wiring. The system is capable of delivering symmetrical 10 Mbps per subscriber with an
all-inclusive service layer software. It is more than 200 times faster than today's dial up modems and six times faster than competing
broadband solutions. The complete inTENcity(TM) solution creates new revenue streams for service providers (CLECs, BLECs, ISPs,
IXCs, etc.) and simplifies fast Internet access with a splitter-less, hassle-free installation, requiring no re-wiring or additional phone lines.
"NHC is a leading provider of remote switching solutions and we are excited about this partnership," said Orckit's Senior Vice President
of Marketing Larry Keith. "This agreement plays an integral role in our strategy to continue as a leader in the MTU market. By making
our products compatible, we will better meet our customers' needs and further our competitive reach."
About Orckit
Orckit Communications Ltd., a leading provider of Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) solutions, enables incumbent local exchange carriers
(ILECs), competitive local exchange carriers (CLECs) and building local exchange carriers (BLECs) to offer high-speed data, video and
Internet access services over existing copper wires. Orckit's product line includes: FastInternet(TM) DSL Access Multiplexer (DSLAM),
multi-tenant unit (MTU) eDSL inTENcity(TM) system and CopperTrunk® HDSL. Orckit's DSL solutions are deployed in more than 30
countries worldwide. Visit Orckit's Web site at orckit.com.
About NHC
NHC Communications Inc. is an international leader in the design and manufacture of innovative physical layer high-speed switched
access solutions for established and next-generation voice/data networks. With a unique range of technologies developed from years of
experience, NHC is now at the heart of today's corporate enterprise service market and the telecommunications industry. Visit NHC at
www.nhc.com.
Visit the Company's Web site at www.nhc.com. To request a free copy of
NHC's annual report, please go to www.newswire.ca and click on
reports(at)cnw.
Statements included here, which are not historical in nature, are
forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions
of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including
without limitation, statements as to managements' beliefs, strategies,
plans, expectations or opinions in connection with company performance,
which are based on a number of assumptions concerning future conditions
that may ultimately prove to be inaccurate. In addition, other
forward-looking statements that may be included here must be qualified
by important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially
from those achieved in the past or those expected by the companies. These
include: rapid technological change along with the need to continually
develop new products; the company's dependence on a dominant product
line; competition; the companies' dependence on key employees;
difficulties in managing the companies' growth; the company's dependence
upon certain customers and certain suppliers; the companies' dependence
upon proprietary rights; risks of third party claims of infringement;
and government regulation.
For further information
Sylvain Abitbol, President & CEO, s.abitbol@nhc.com, (514) 734-4302
Sylvain Brossard, CA, Vice President, Finance & Operations, s.brossard@nhc.com, (514) 734-4304
Andrea Berry, The Barnes Organization, (416) 367-5000, aberry@barnesir.com
Yoel Knoll/Lori Prosio, Orckit Communications, 972 3 6945244/(916) 783-5600, yoelk@orckit.com/lori@orckit.com |
