Lucent Technologies and Westell to Jointly Market and Sell ADSL Products
I guess this explains why no LU bid:
Thursday December 11, 2:08 pm Eastern Time
Company Press Release
SOURCE: Westell Technologies
Lucent Technologies and Westell to Jointly Market and Sell ADSL Products
Westell's SuperVision broadband access platform to enable high-speed data from North
America's most widely deployed Digital Loop Carrier Systems
AURORA, Ill., Dec. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Westell Technologies (Nasdaq: WSTL - news) announced today that it has signed a
joint marketing agreement with Lucent Technologies (NYSE: LU - news). Lucent will now begin marketing Westell's
SuperVision(R) Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer (DSLAM) systems, including concentration shelves, line cards,
mux cards, remote ADSL modems and network management systems, enabling telecommunications service providers to offer
high-speed data over copper telephone wires.
Under the agreement, Lucent can market Westell's SuperVision broadband access platform. Westell's DSLAM systems will be
commercially available in the first quarter of 1998. In addition, the agreement calls for both companies to market and sell
Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) products developed by Westell for Lucent's SLC(R) Digital Loop Carrier
Systems. The first ADSL enabled SLC Series systems are projected to be available in the fourth quarter of 1998. Today's
announcement is the next step in an agreement announced earlier this year, when Lucent and Westell first agreed to integrate
Westell's ADSL technology into Lucent's SLC Digital Loop Carrier systems.
Lucent's SLC-2000 and SLC Series 5 digital loop carriers are the most widely deployed systems in the United States. By
combining SLC Systems ADSL-enabled channel units that interface with Westell's SuperVision ADSL modems, service
providers with Lucent's SLC systems will be able to offer data service at rates up to eight megabits per second (Mbps)
downstream with full rate-adaptive capabilities -- an increase of 200 times over today's raditional data rates using 28.8 kilobits
per second (kbps) modems.
As part of the agreement, Westell will install and support the broadband equipment at the central office and remote modems at
the customer premises. Financial terms and conditions of the contract were not disclosed.
Lucent Technologies may also use Westell-supplied AccessVision(R) element manager to provide full network management of
each ADSL circuit. AccessVision is a scaleable, distributed Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) management
system that provides a graphical interface to operators in a central management center. AccessVision's modular open
architecture cost-effectively supports small networks but can accommodate network growth up to the hundreds of thousands
of lines. AccessVision was specifically designed to manage large, dispersed, multi-product access networks.
''Lucent Technologies is continually looking for ways to help service providers maximize their investment in our digital loop
carrier products so they can meet their customers' demand for higher bandwidth services,'' said Linda Manchester, Lucent's
director of Access Solutions Strategy and Business Development. ''Integrating the Westell ADSL solution ensures that service
providers will be able to offer high-speed ADSL from a SLC system, thereby avoiding the expense of installing an overlay
network.''
The Lucent/Westell solution requires an ADSL line card and a Westell-developed mux card to be inserted into a SLC-2000
Access System Metallic Distribution Shelf or SLC Series 5 dual channel bank assembly. This creates a remote DSLAM inside
the remote terminal cabinet. Each ADSL card provides two ADSL lines and integrated onboard Plain Old Telephone Service
(POTS) splitters.
''This joint marketing agreement with Lucent is an expansion of our earlier development agreement and a major step forward
in the commercial deployment of our DSLAM solution,'' said Marc Hafner, Westell's senior vice president, Business
Development and Global Alliances. ''Westell's SuperVision broadband access platform will complement Lucent's SLC digital
loop carrier systems, allowing both companies to launch a joint marketing effort that benefits our mutual customers.''
According to the Lucent/Westell marketing agreement, SuperVision will support the transmission of ATM cells from either a
155 Mbps (SONET/SDH) or 45 Mbps (DS3) ATM network interface to DSL line modules housed within Lucent's SLC
remote terminal cabinets. The DS-3 signal from the SLC Remote Terminal is transported via a SONET FiberMux to the host
system where it is combined with other DS-3 signals into an OC-3 signal. The OC-3 signal travels to the ATM Backbone
Network.
Westell's SuperVision DSLAM is a flexible platform that serves as a single point of concentration for ADSL line cards located
in the SLC Remote Terminal office. By consolidating individual DSL access line interfaces into a single high-speed interface to
the switching network, service providers are spared the cost of fully deploying multimedia services such as high-speed
Internet access, video-on-demand and remote LAN access. Westell's consolidation also reduces equipment costs, saves space
and enhances availability by minimizing the potential points of failure in the network.
Lucent Technologies, headquartered in Murray Hill, N.J., designs, builds and delivers a wide range of public and private
networks, communications systems and software, data networking systems, business telephone systems and microelectronic
components. Bell Labs is the research and development arm for the company. For more information on Lucent Technologies,
visit the company's web site at lucent.com.
Westell Technologies, Inc. is a holding company for Westell, Inc., Conference Plus, Inc. and Westell WorldWide Services,
Inc. Westell, Inc. is a leading worldwide innovator and manufacturer of xDSL systems and telecommunications access
products, with corporate headquarters in Aurora, Ill. Westell's xDSL products are currently in use or trial by many customers
worldwide, including Ameritech, Bell Atlantic, Bell Canada, BT, GTE, MCI, Quebec Telephone, SBC, Saskatchewan
Telephone, Telecom Italia, US West and leading Internet service providers. In addition to developing and manufacturing xDSL
and non-DSL data and telecommunications products, Westell, Inc., has established technology relationships with leading
telecommunication, software, computing and semiconductor companies such as Atlantech Technologies, ATML, DSC
Communications, GlobeSpan, Lucent Technologies, Microsoft, Motorola, Texas Instruments and others.
Conference Plus, Inc. is a multi-point telecommunications service bureau specializing in audio teleconferencing, multi-point
video conferencing, broadcast fax, and multimedia teleconference services. Westell WorldWide Services, Inc. provides
engineering, installation and network management services to leading network providers as well as turn-key equipment and
service solutions to enterprise customers and service providers. Additional information can be obtained by visiting Westell's
Web site at westell.com.
SuperVision is a registered trademark of Westell Technologies, Inc. SLC is a registered trademark of Lucent Technologies.
''Safe Harbor'' statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995
Certain statements contained herein such as the development and commercial availability of Westell's ADSL products and the
commercial deployment of Westell's DSLAM solution are forward looking statements. These statements include risks and
uncertainties such as those listed under the ''Risk Factors'' section contained in Westell's Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended
March 31, 1997. These risks include but are not limited to, product demand and market acceptance risks, the impact of
competitive products and technologies, competitive pricing pressures, delays in product development and introductions, lack
of commercial acceptance for Westell's products, technological delays or difficulties, and the effect of economic conditions
and trade, legal, social and economic risks.
SOURCE: Westell Technologies |
