Officials tell DSLdigest.com that DSLcon ?00 April 3-6 at the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose, Calif. will feature 86 exhibitors with 122 booths displaying products ranging from DSLAMs to microfilters; seminars to focus on VoDSL, multi-tenant markets, VPNs and case histories.
By Dick Larsen
Copper is making a comeback as evidenced by next month?s DSLcon show, which carries the theme, "The Golden Age of Copper."
Last year, DSL providers established their areas of service. This year, "DSL deployment is definitely happening," says DSLcon Manager Bill Weber. "But there are challenges that have not gone away."
DSLcon exhibitors will focus on the challenges, featuring products such as ADSL microfilters about the size of a matchbox and G.Lite devices that lower the expense, or "truckroll" cost, of getting DSL service from the central office to the user. In addition, discounted DSLAMs with line cards will offer expanded capabilities to service providers.
Most DSLcon exhibitors are equipment suppliers, who sell wholesale to service providers. However, an interesting exception is New Edge Networks, a company that "wants to be the number four CLEC after Covad, Northpoint and Rhythms," says Conference Director Peter Meade. New Edge took out exhibit space to emphasize its intention to reach second and third tier markets. "The buzz and feel of the show this year is overwhelming," Meade says. "More than 100 speakers will discuss what their companies are actually doing with DSL technology, instead of saying, ?Wouldn?t it be great if we could do this??"
In a new development, the show has added an Investor Summit to run Monday and Tuesday, April 3rd and 4th. Co-sponsored by the investment banking firm Kaufman Brothers, this event will feature presentations to invited investment houses, institutional investors, venture capitalists, and mutual funds, by a group of DSL-involved vendors ranging from some who have already gone public to others who are planning to do so.
Seminar Focus -- Case Studies
DSLcon seminars will feature topics in the news such as the growing use of VoDSL technology. Currently in a four-track mode, the conference program is constructed to cover the interests of telcos, ISPs, end-users, and vendors. Peter Meade: "VoDSL and the multitenant market will be hot topics. We?re going to see in real world terms what the deployment of VoDSL really means," he says. "MCIWorldCom and Accelerated Networks will provide speakers to discuss case studies for VoDSL and Copper Com and Picus will discuss VoDSL case studies in two separate sessions."
In addition, "DSL for virtual private networks will be a topic of considerable interest, since VPN technology is really taking off," Weber says. Other topics include: G.Lite vs. full-rate ADSL; the advent of wireless DSL; DSL in the rest of the world; next generation DSL services; stories from the field; real-world multi-tenant unit installations; the challenges of provisioning; rural telcos delivering DSL; operational support planning; and quality of service issues. This is happening so fast, in fact, that the next DSLcon ?00 slated September 18-21 at Boston?s World Trade Center is close to being sold out.
International Interest
Now in its third year, and expanding globally, DSLcon continues to focus only on DSL technologies. This approach, which has seen both attendance and exhibitors more than triple since the first event in the spring of ?98, is conference driven, with the "software" of the content complemented by the "hardware" of the exhibits. According to Meade, "lots of folks" from Alcatel and Siemens will be on hand.
Even as DSL rollouts are expanding internationally, so too is DSLcon, venturing this year into Copenhagen, Hong Kong and Toronto. And as DSL becomes even more pervasive globally, DSLcon will add additional overseas venues beginning in 2001. "Our first show in Amsterdam was a success, and we?ve doubled our booth space in Coppenhagen at a show Oct. 30-Nov 2 this year," Weber says.
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