Rockwell Announces 1Mbps Digital Modem Technology That Matches
Conventional Analog Modems in Price, Simplicity
-- New technology is unveiled concurrently with ITU industry standards meeting to
help lay groundwork for the next step in high-speed Internet connectivity beyond
K56flex(TM) modems
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., Oct. 28, 1997 -- Rockwell Semiconductor Systems has announced
a new technology for modems that can be priced, sold and installed much like today's popular
V.34 and K56flex modems, yet offer downstream data transfer speeds that are 10 to 20 times
faster. The announcement was made this week to coincide with an International
Telecommunications Union (ITU) meeting focused on developing standards for this new
technology.
Designed exclusively with the consumer in mind, Rockwell's Consumer Digital Subscriber Line
(CDSL) modem technology offers an affordable, 1Mbps solution for Web browsing and remote
computing over standard telephone lines. At the same time, it preserves the same straightforward
retail marketing and deployment model of conventional V.34 and K56flex analog modems.
Rockwell believes Consumer DSL(TM) represents the next logical step after K56flex modems,
and has elected to unveil the technology early in the standards development process in order to
solicit the broadest possible industry participation among the companies who must collectively
define an interoperability standard for it.
"Internet users are starving for more bandwidth, and it's important that we begin working on the
next Internet connectivity breakthrough even as K56flex modems are establishing their place in
the market," said Raouf Halim, vice president and general manager of Rockwell's Network
Access Division.
"We hope that by presenting this technology very early in the ITU discussions we can accelerate
the standardization process," Halim said. "A year or so from now we want to see a seamless
transition from 56Kbps PCM modems to this next higher-speed technology."
Rockwell has taken the first step by announcing CDSL concurrent with this week's ITU Study
Group 15 meeting, which is focusing on a recently established category for this type of technology
called G.adsl lite.
"Additionally, we look forward to collaborating with other industry leaders in the appropriate
forums and standards bodies where we will detail our technology," Halim added.
Rockwell expects that product and service roll-outs for the new technology could begin as early
as the second half of 1998. Once telephone companies adopt the new technology it will offer the
next logical performance progression after K56flex modems, although K56flex modems are
expected to remain ubiquitous for a number of years. Additionally, Rockwell expects to deliver
CDSL modems which incorporate all existing modem modulations, such as K56flex and V.34, to
provide the broadest global interoperability possible.
Similar to ADSL Technology
Although similar to industry-standard Discrete Multitone (DMT) ADSL technology, CDSL can
be implemented more cost-effectively because it operates at a lower, 1Mbps data rate that is
ideal for Web browsing and remote computing. Additionally, CDSL technology eliminates the
ADSL "splitter" equipment and associated wiring that phone companies previously had to install
at subscribers' homes to separate POTS and ADSL frequencies. This allows CDSL modems to
simply be plugged into telephone outlets just as conventional modems are. PC OEMs and retail
modem manufacturers will be able to sell CDSL modems through their traditional distribution
channels.
Always Connected
The elimination of splitter requirements at the customer premises also allows CDSL technology to
maintain a continuous connection between the PC and the phone company. This will make it
possible for PC users to be on a phone call at the same time they're connected to the Internet
using the same standard line. CDSL applies innovative techniques to accommodate the varying
line impairments caused by concurrent operation of POTS over the same line. CDSL can rapidly
shift data rates in response to these varying line impairments to always provide the highest
possible data rate on the line.
"The real breakthrough of CDSL is its ability to operate concurrently with POTS calls and
without a splitter," said Michael Henderson, marketing director for Rockwell's ADSL technology.
"Rockwell has developed innovative techniques for CDSL which enable the modem to remain
always connected, and allow easier, less expensive deployment of this solution. Meanwhile, we
believe that T1/E1.413 standard DMT ADSL will continue to be used for provisioning the highest
data rate service possible, and serving an important segment of the market." CDSL technology's
low cost will make it affordable to create modems at traditional retail modem price points that
implement CDSL and all existing analog data and fax modem modulations, including K56flex,
V.34, V.32bis, V.17 and V.29.
Rockwell believes this technology will enable leading telephone companies to deploy DSL based
Internet Access to consumers sooner than expected. Additionally, Rockwell believes this will
allow telephone companies to provide a broad range of DSL type services to consumers. It also
offers cost benefits to the telephone companies since they can activate service simply by installing
CDSL equipment in their central offices for those customers who choose to take the service. A
high-speed asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) or frame relay data network will likely be used to
tie the central offices together and to give Internet Service Providers access to CDSL customers.
CDSL technology also strikes a balance between the reach required to accommodate the
greatest possible number of subscribers, and the speed necessary to significantly improve Web
browsing and remote-computing performance. With CDSL technology's 18,000-foot reach, it
will be possible to accommodate subscribers even if they are at the edge of their phone
company's service area. CDSL subscribers will be able to achieve up to 1Mbps downstream
speeds and 128Kbps upstream speeds, depending on line conditions and length.
A Broad Spectrum of DSL Technologies
CDSL is a key component in Rockwell's growing family of DSL products and technologies.
"DSL technology will fuel the next generation of modem communication products, and is
expected to extend the life of modems for at least a decade," Halim said. "Rockwell is uniquely
positioned to benefit from this technology shift. We have a long history in High Bit Rate Digital
Subscriber line (HDSL) technology, including migration to the latest HDSL 2 standards under
development. Rockwell is a market leader in Symmetric DSL (SDSL) Internet access solutions
with it's ZipWireO product family. And now, with our pioneering work in Consumer DSL
technology, no other company has the communications product line breadth that Rockwell has."
Through its September 1996 acquisition of Brooktree Corp., Rockwell has been a pioneer in
industry-standard HDSL technology that is now used to provision the overwhelming majority of
the world's new digital T1/E1 connections. In 1996 and 1997, Rockwell introduced the first
members of its ZipWire family of mid-rate DSL solutions for business connectivity applications
and for low-cost T1/E1 provisioning and multi-service "pairgain" voice/data/fax applications in
emerging countries. Together, this growing family of DSL products leverages Rockwell's
long-time modem expertise in core digital signal processing and related technologies to take
modem connectivity into the next decade and beyond.
Rockwell Semiconductor Systems and Electronic Commerce, based in Newport Beach, Calif., is
a leading worldwide provider of semiconductor system solutions for personal communications
electronics and systems, software and services for the global call center industry. Rockwell
Semiconductor Systems comprises five divisions -- Personal Computing, Network Access,
Personal Imaging, Wireless Communications, and Digital Infotainment. Personal Computing is a
leading supplier of communications and media processing products for the PC. Network Access
offers a broad line of high-bandwidth communications and networking devices including central
site modems, xDSL, ATM and T1/E1 transceiver products. Digital Infotainment focuses on
products for the digital consumer electronics information and entertainment markets. Personal
Imaging is the world leading supplier of devices for facsimile products and develops and
manufactures semiconductors for multifunctional peripherals, printers, personal video and digital
imaging products. Wireless Communications develops cordless and cellular chipsets, GPS, power
amplifier and front end receiver components for all major wireless standards.. The Electronic
Commerce Division, based in Wood Dale, Ill., is a leading supplier of call center systems and
personalized electronic commerce applications software.
Rockwell is a global electronics company with leadership positions in industrial automation,
semiconductor systems, and avionics and communications, with projected FY97 sales of
approximately $8 billion and 45,000 employees. Rockwell's world headquarters is located in
Costa Mesa, in Orange County, Calif. |
