OTCBB FTEL
For Immediate Release
May 30, 1996
Franklin Announces Joint Venture with StarComm Products
Westlake Village, CA.> Franklin Telecom announced today it has formed a joint venture
with StarComm Products of Huntington Beach, CA. The Venture will merge Franklin's
D-Mark channel bank with StarComm's V.34 - 28.8 modems by eliminating the
redundant SLIC functions on both their 4 and 8 port modems and on the D-Mark's
Analog Voice card. The new product, embracing both functions will become part of the
Franklin D-mark family. Franklin will handle all Software Development.
According to Phil Sutter, StarComm's President & CEO, "StarComm has been very
active in providing communications solutions for Internet Service Provider (ISP)
applications and our latest V.34 rack mount products have been widely accepted in this
market segment. However, our ISP customers kept pushing us for more of the network
access solution in a single product. Before StarComm and Franklin began discussing
this Joint Venture, both companies had already concluded that the integration of channel
bank technology and modem technology was the next logical step in products for our
ISP customer base. With each company doing those things that they do best, we intend
to provide solutions that will dramatically reduce the per port cost of dial up
connections."
Frank Peters, Franklin's President & CEO, adds, "This will eliminate about 50% of the
parts list for both the modem card and the analog channel bank card. Most importantly
the new product will reduce the cost by 50% for setting up an Internet POP (Point of
Presence) plus cutting out the need for one major piece of equipment -- modems! All of
this can be achieved at very low cost. The new product will receive a T1 Telco circuit
and connect it directly to the newly modified D-Mark; (our T1 card has a built in
CSU/DSU so no other telco equipment is needed). The output of the D-Mark would look
just like the output of a 28.8 modem on a DB25 connector. This would typically connect
to a terminal server, then to a Router and CSU/DSU for a POP. For an ISP, the CSU
would be replaced by various File Servers using a 10Mbps Ethernet as the local back
bone with a Router going to a T1 CSU, then to the internet. More on the 10Mbps vs.
155Mbps Ethernet later."
Peters went on to say, "This partnership will lead to the acquisition of StarComm if
certain financial goals are met. StarComm is part of Franklin's overall plan, connected
with our strategic alliance with DCI, of Fairfield, CT and American Cash Card, of New
York. These alliances, together with new product development, will put Franklin in a
unique position for our penetration of the Internet Marketplace. The first product to be
built under this Joint Venture, code-named the D-Mark TANK, should be ready for alpha
testing this Summer."
More information can be obtained by contacting Frank Peters or Helen West,
Shareholder Relations at 805-373-8688, 800-372-6556, by fax at 805-373-7373, Internet:
hq@ftel.com, or on the WEB ftel.com or by writing to Franklin at 733
Lakefield Road, Westlake Village, CA. 91361. Franklin Telecom, founded in 1981,
designs and manufactures communications devices, high speed LAN & WAN access
cards and software. Franklin has an installed base of over 100,000 nodes. Franklin is
traded Over The Counter Market as "FTEL". DCI, Joe Murphy CEO may be reached at
203/259-7713. |
