PairGain Launches 'Skyrocket' Industry's First Fully Compliant G.lite Modems
PR Newswire - January 25, 2000 08:26
WASHINGTON, ComNet 2000, Jan. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- PairGain(R) Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: PAIR), the power behind DSL access(TM), today launched Skyrocket, the industry's first DSL modems that fully comply with the International Telecommunication Union's (ITU) G.lite standard. Skyrocket modems incorporate G.hs (G.handshake) and "fast retrain," the two enabling capabilities deemed critical to the widespread deployment of G.lite. The modems are specifically designed to help service providers tap into the booming residential and Small Office/Home Office (SOHO) DSL market, and are on display at ComNet, booth #428.
"The Skyrocket series coupled with our Avidia(R) System extends our range of DSL solutions right to the home desktop," said Ahmet Tuncay, vice president of product management for PairGain's Avidia business unit. "And as the first company to produce a fully-compliant G.lite modem, PairGain is continuing to demonstrate its leadership role in interoperable technologies."
G.hs and fast retrain are key elements of the ITU standard that are intended to make G.lite modems as user-friendly as today's analog modems. G.hs enables G.lite modems to automatically negotiate speed and connect to a central office DSLAM at the highest possible data rate. Fast retrain enables G.lite modems to quickly adjust to the conditions of a data line in order to handle the presence of a voice signal. These new protocols greatly reduce the need to send an installer to each location where DSL service is provisioned. PairGain has successfully and consistently demonstrated G.hs and fast-retrain since mid 1999 and most recently in conjunction with the DSL Forum at the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this month.
"G.hs and fast retrain are key ingredients in CPE that provide an easy setup for the end user, which is an important factor in a residential or SOHO customer's satisfaction level with DSL," said Laurie Falconer, DSL Consultant, with TeleChoice. "Customer satisfaction is crucial for DSL service provider success. With products like the Skyrocket Series that support the G.hs and fast retrain standards, service providers will have more opportunity for success in marketing DSL."
The Skyrocket series extends PairGain's popular Megabit Modem(R) line. Skyrocket is available in both USB and PCI formats, thereby eliminating the need for an Ethernet card in the user's PC and making plug and play DSL a reality.
"By combining USB or PCI connectivity with G.lite or full-rate ADSL speeds, we've created a high-performance, low-cost communications solution that should prove very attractive to service providers," continued Tuncay. "It will make their DSL deployments easier, faster and with list prices starting at $249, less expensive."
Skyrocket is available in four models, G.lite and dual mode (G.lite and full rate ADSL) for both USB and PCI formats. The full-rate ADSL mode achieves rates of up to 7.552 Mbps downstream and 928 kbps upstream. While most G.lite equipment being designed today artificially limits maximum downstream rates to 1.5 Mbps and upstream rates to 512 Kbps, PairGain introduces a feature called DoubleRate, which allows G.lite downstream transmission of 3.0 Mbps and higher under certain line conditions. DoubleRate increases upstream rates from 512 Kbps up to 672 Kbps. The DoubleRate feature is available when service providers select Skyrocket modems as part of an Avidia system installation. Ongoing interoperability efforts will soon allow service providers to take advantage of this feature when installing systems incorporating other manufacturers' CO equipment.
The Skyrocket modems, available March 1, complete PairGain's CPE product line. The company now offers DSL CPE solutions ranging from low cost G.lite modems for home and SOHO applications to sophisticated DSL routers for VPNs and other enterprise applications.
PairGain was named the leader in the North American DSL CPE market by Dataquest in its most recent Worldwide xDSL Market Share and Forecast. PairGain ranked first in North American DSL modem shipments with 18 percent of the market.
PairGain Technologies, Inc.
PairGain is the leader in the design, manufacture, marketing and sale of DSL networking systems. Service providers and private network operators worldwide use PairGain's products to deploy DSL-based services such as high-speed Internet, remote LAN access and enterprise LAN extension.
For more than 10 years, PairGain has been recognized as a technology leader and industry innovator of telecommunications equipment. The Company offers the widest range of DSL-based systems available. Product lines include HiGain Solitaire(TM) HDSL2 solutions, HiGain(R) T1/E1 access systems, PG-FlexPlus(TM), PG-Flex(R) and PG-Plus(R) subscriber carrier systems, the Avidia(R) System, Megabit Modems(R) and Campus-HRS(TM) DSL access products. More than 1.7 million PairGain DSL nodes are installed in over 70 countries. Additional information about the Company is available on the Internet at www.pairgain.com.
Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in this announcement are forward-looking statements which involve risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to economic, competitive, governmental and technological factors affecting the Company's operations, markets, products, services and prices and other factors discussed in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All trademarks within are the property of their respective manufacturers.
SOURCE PairGain Technologies, Inc.
/CONTACT: Press and Industry Analysts: Stephen Moore of PairGain
Technologies, 714-730-2336, stephen_moore@pairgain.com; or Kristin Duskin-Gadd
of Interprose Public Relations, 703-359-0305, kduskin-gadd@interprosepr.com;
or Financial Media and Analysts: Kim Gower of PairGain Technologies,
714-832-9922, investor_relations@pairgain.com/
/Web site: comnetexpo.com
/Web site: pairgain.com
(PAIR)
Headlines
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PAIR %CPR %MLM %TLS %PDT V%PRN P%PRN
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
¸ 1999 TD Waterhouse. Click here for important legal information. |
