To: Norman Klein who wrote (2212 ) 12/7/1997 4:27:00 PM From: Norman Klein Read Replies (2) | Respond to of 9236
Microsoft and Intel announce intentions to support DSL Jim Bender was really perceptive about how the ADSL market is shaping up. He had the foresight to put resources into developing the "splitterless" modem ahead of everyone else and now everyone is racing to catch up with Aware. The only other companies with a "splitterless" modem are Rockwell CDSL (in the planning stages and still years away from deployment) and NetSpeed (just announced it). News announcements like this are the reason that I am always reluctant to sell my Aware (even at 15). You just don't know how analysts will react and suddenly decide that ADSL stocks have come of age and send the price into the twenties. Although looking back (with 20/20 hindsight) I desperately wish that I had sold on every high. By Carmen Nobel and Scott Berinato December 5, 1997 3:04 PM PST PC Week Online Intel Corp. and Microsoft Corp. are set to throw their weight behind DSL in an effort to make the technology a legitimate option for corporations looking for less expensive leased lines and faster remote access. The two companies, along with several RBOCs (Regional Bell Operating Companies), will hold a coming-out party in February for the most popular flavor of the fledgling technology, ADSL (asymmetric digital subscriber line), which can transmit data over regular phone lines at rates of up to 7M bps. Microsoft plans to add ADSL drivers to Windows 98, due next year, sources close to the Redmond, Wash., company said. Meanwhile, Intel, of Santa Clara, Calif., wants to standardize on Universal Serial Bus technology for plugging DSL modems into PCs, sources said. Current DSL modems connect to computers by using a short Ethernet connection between the modem and PC. Microsoft and Intel also plan to accelerate the market with an interoperability standard, much the way cable modem vendors joined forces on MCNS (Multimedia Cable Network System) earlier this year. When finalized, MCNS gave that market a jolt of legitimacy. "[Intel and Microsoft are] a market force that adds a lot of leverage [to DSL]," said Frank Wiener, vice president at Paradyne Corp., a DSL vendor in Largo, Fla. "A real, mass-market DSL solution has to be supported by major [vendors]." A vote of confidence from Microsoft and Intel "could accelerate the standards process," Wiener added. Beyond standards and hardware development, service provisions will be required for mass deployment of DSL in 1998. Intel and Microsoft will bring RBOCs and other service providers to the February event. Spurring the RBOCs' involvement is a new "splitterless" DSL modem technology that makes it more economical to offer widespread service, according to sources. Splitterless DSL does not require a technician to install the service at a customer site, and it eliminates the need to optimize the copper phone line. Current DSL and ISDN hardware require such support, which has limited their appeal to service providers and customers. "That's a really big deal for [telecommunications providers]," said John Hunter, an analyst at TeleChoice Inc., in Northglenn, Colo. "[With splitterless DSL], they don't have to roll a truck out there to install it. It's plug and play, which is what everyone is shooting for."