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(PR NEWSWIRE) DJ: Alcatel Mietec Signs Memorandum of Understanding with As
DJ: Alcatel Mietec Signs Memorandum of Understanding with Ascend Communications
for ADSL DynaMiTe Product Development.
BRUSSELS, Belgium--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 3, 1997--Alcatel Mietec announced
today that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Ascend
Communications under which Ascend will use Alcatel's DynaMiTe ADSL DMT
(Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line - Discrete Multi-Tone modulation)
chipset and firmware in its access products. The agreement covers
technology for both customer premises (ATU-R) and central office (ATU-C)
equipment and is expected to lead to product introductions in the second
quarter of 1998.
The agreement covers Alcatel's third generation rate-adaptive ADSL (R-ADSL)
modem chipset, which was recently announced. The new DynaMiTe modem kit
(MTK-20131 series) combines the digital functions of the DMT modem and ATM
framer with the Utopia interface in a single 0.35 micron chip. A second
chip incorporates the analog front end using a 0.5 micron analog process,
while a third controller chip manages the ADSL modem functions.
Ashok Dhawan, general manager of High Speed Communication Products at
Ascend, said, "Ascend has been shipping MultiDSL products since the first
quarter of 1997. MultiDSL products include ATU-R and ATU-C solutions for
IDSL, SDSL, ADSL-CAP and ADSL DMT technologies. With the new chipset from
Alcatel, we expect to have the lowest power, most compact DMT solution
available."
According to the companies, the solution will have the added benefit of
immediate interoperability with ADSL equipment being deployed by the leading
RBOCs (e.g., Pac Bell, Bell South, Ameritech and Southwestern Bell) and by
other operators in Europe and Southeast Asia. "This agreement gives us
early access to chips and firmware so that we can develop our products in
parallel with Alcatel and introduce products sooner," Dhawan said. "The
DynaMiTe chipset is designed to be fully compliant with issue 2 of the ANSI
Standard T1E1.413 specification, category 2 which will enable our products
to interwork with future products of other vendors also supporting the
standard."
"To bring Alcatel's ADSL chipset to the commercial market we partitioned the
modem and the firmware to provide a general purpose UTOPIA and control
interface," said Robert Bury, telecommunications products marketing manager
at Alcatel Mietec.
"By working with industry leaders such as Ascend during the final phases of
our product release, we can ensure that it fits the requirements of
commercial systems. Alcatel's experience from early deployment of DMT
systems over the past 2 years has been incorporated into this new generation
chipset which we believe will set the standard for ADSL DMT implementation
when it is released in Q1 1998.".
About Ascend Communications
Ascend Communications, Inc. develops, manufactures, and sells wide area
networking solutions for telecommunications carriers, Internet service
providers, and corporate customers world-wide. For more information about
Ascend and its products, please visit the Ascend web site at
ascend.com, or e-mail info@ascend.com . Ascend is headquartered
at One Ascend Plaza, 1701 Harbor Bay Parkway, Alameda, CA 94502-3002.
Phone: 800/ASCEND4; Fax: 510/747-2300.
About Alcatel Mietec
Alcatel Mietec, the Semiconductor company of Alcatel, develops, manufactures
and sells both standard and custom application specific semiconductors for
communications applications around the world. Served markets include data
and voice communication over the public switched telephone network, cellular
wireless networks, power lines, and automotive and industrial buses. For
more information about Mietec, please visit Mietec's website at
www.alcatel.com/mietec, or e-mail info@mietec.be. DynaMiTe is a trademark
of Alcatel. Alcatel Mietec has its design and marketing headquarters at
Raketstraat 62, 1130 Brussels, Belgium Phone:+32 2 728 1811; Fax:+32 2 726
4215
Statements made in this press release which are not historical, including
statements regarding product development, demonstration, product
capabilities, availability and markets, and the negotiation of definitive
agreements are forward looking statements and as such are subject to a
number of risks including that the market for ADSL Products is still under
development, is highly competitive and is subject to rapid technological
change. Please see the Company's Annual Report and Form 10-K for the 1996
fiscal year and other reports filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission for additional disclosure regarding such factors.
CONTACT: Alcatel Mietec
Michael Newsom, 972/996-7896
E-mail: michael_newsom@aud.alcatel.com
or
Robert Bury, tel:+32 2 728 1837,
Raketstraat 62,
1040 Brussels, Belgium, Fax:+32 2 726 4215
ro_bury@mietec.be
or
Paul Osiecki, 972/996 2489
M/S 412-115
1225 N. Alma Road
Richardson, Texas 75081-2206
Fax: 972/996-2503
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