James,
Have you noticed the rush to market by the Bells, Intel, and others of high speed internet, I bet I could post half dozen announcements from today and yesterday. Got tired of reading the articles on my news service. Maybe they believe there is a break even speed where a customer won't move to a new service for an incrementally higher speed. In other words how much speed do you need. ( I always liked fast cars myself.) I think this is confusing the issue with investors. Bidders are being quite while everyone else is shouting from the roof tops about their great technology that will speed up the Internet. In general investors have to hear a clear message that says" buy me, I will safely make you rich".
Here is a short example of the articles. What do you think of it?
NW
Subj: Ariel Announces Support for Splitterless ADSL Joins...
Date: 98-01-27 09:50:00 EST
Ariel Announces Support for Splitterless ADSL Joins Universal ADSL Working Group
PISCATAWAY, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 27, 1998--Ariel Corp. (NASDAQ:ADSP) Tuesday announced its support for "Splitterless ADSL" (Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line), a new technology that will significantly reduce the cost and complexity of deploying ADSL service.
Ariel also announced that it has joined the newly formed Universal ADSL Working Group (UAWG), which will draft technical standards for the new technology. Compaq, Intel and Microsoft are leading the UAWG and it includes PC, Telecom and Networking industry leaders such as Ameritech, Bell Atlantic, Bell Canada, BellSouth, British Telecom, GTE, MCI, SBC Communications, Singapore Telecom, Sprint and US West.
"By leveraging our current HORIZON product architecture, including ATM hardware and Java-based software, we will be able to bring our Universal ADSL capability to market quickly," said David Sobin, vice president of Ariel's Communications Systems Group. "Our Universal ADSL feature will provide a much higher port density than current 8-Mbps ADSL products at a fraction of the cost."
Ariel's ADSL system is architected to support multiple variations of xDSL including the Universal ADSL. Different xDSL line cards can be mixed in the same telco equipment providing an easy upgrade path to higher speeds up to 8 Mbps downstream. The Universal ADSL capability will leverage Ariel's leading edge ATM features such as multiple virtual circuits, priority queuing and per VC Quality of Service. Such features are essential for providing real service with simultaneous access to different services and applications, each with its own QoS.
Universal ADSL is a high-speed data transmission technology that enables data and video to be transmitted over ordinary telephone lines at speeds up to 1.5 Mbps, more than 25 times faster than the fastest dial-up analog modems. ADSL service utilizes ATM networks for data and video transmission, which bypasses the telephone company's switched voice network. The result is a continuously available connection for data and video that enables subscribers to access remote resources such as the Internet, corporate LANs, e-mail, and video conferencing without dialing in and without incurring the usual delays.
ADSL usually requires splitters to separate voice and data traffic at both the central office and customer premises. Universal ADSL enables ADSL service to be deployed without installing splitters in the customer premises. Eliminating these splitters has two important benefits. First, it greatly simplifies ADSL installation, enabling telcos to activate the service without having to dispatch a technician to the customer premises, and enabling customers to plug-and-play just as they would an analog modem. Second, it greatly reduces equipment costs at both the central office and customer premises.
Ariel's HORIZON ADSL system consists of three components: an ATM Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer (DSLAM), which resides at the telco; an ADSL Modem, which is located at the customer premises; and the HORIZON Element Management System (EMS), which provides end-to-end network management for the ADSL service. The HORIZON system utilizes industry standard IP (Internet Protocol) and ATM protocols, which enable it to combine high speed data access with ubiquitous connectivity, secure transport, and enhanced QoS (Quality of Service).
In a survey published in the June 1997 issue of tele.com magazine, HORIZON outperformed the competition in independent lab testing conducted by National Software Testing Laboratories Inc. Moreover, Ariel's HORIZON was the only ADSL system to utilize the ATM protocol.
HORIZON was recently selected by Maine-based CommTel for its ADSL service trial, the first of its kind in Maine, and the first ATM-based ADSL trial anywhere to deliver simultaneous Internet access and live video to a PC over a single pair of ordinary telephone wires. Remarked CommTel president Mark Blake, "We are proud to be working with Ariel on the first ever service featuring simultaneous Internet browsing and live video. We selected HORIZON because of its carrier-class features, and were especially pleased with the HORIZON EMS, which made the system easy to set up and has proved itself by warning us of impaired conditions on the telephone line before end users notice them."
HORIZON was announced and demonstrated live at SUPERCOMM '97. The demo featured simultaneous transmission of video and data applications over separate virtual circuits, each with its own Quality of Service. HORIZON has been shipping since June 1997.
About Ariel
Ariel Corp. is a leading supplier of remote access equipment for applications such as Internet and corporate Intranet access, online services, transaction processing, and unified messaging. In addition to its carrier-class HORIZON ADSL system, Ariel provides the industry's highest density V.34 and 56-kbps open systems remote access solutions for PC-based servers running the Windows NT operating system.
Ariel recently announced its decision to seek a buyer for its Communications Systems Group, which developed and markets the HORIZON product family. The team has a long, successful history of developing complex wide-area data communications systems for telecommunications companies with deep competencies in data transmission, carrier-class systems design, ATM, provisioning, network management, diagnostics, etc. The company is currently in discussions with potential acquirers and partners.
For more information, please contact Ariel Corp. at 225 Old New Brunswick Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854. Phone: 908/394-6000. Fax: 908/562-1134. E-mail: adsl@ariel.com . Web site: www.ariel.com
HORIZON is a trademark of Ariel Corp.
--30--NG/sd* EL/sd
CONTACT:
Ariel Corp.
Pravin Ajmera, 732/394-6008 |
