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Technology Stocks : Westell WSTL -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Trey McAtee who wrote (8227)	12/11/1997 6:42:00 PM
From: bill c.	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 21342

[ Westell , Lucent in marketing pact ] AURORA, Ill., Dec 11 (Reuters) - Westell Technologies Inc said Thursday it signed an agreement with Lucent Technologies Inc to jointly market products enabling the high-speed transfer of information over traditional telephone lines. Under the agreement, Lucent will begin marketing Westell's SuperVision Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer (DSLAM) systems, which will be available in first quarter of 1998. In addition, both companies will sell Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) products developed by Westell for Lucent's SLC Digital Loop Carrier Systems, or local telephone network systems. The combination systems are expected to be available in the fourth quarter of 1998. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. But Westell Inc chief executive Rob Faw said the agreement was a ''significant opportunity'' for the company, giving it access to customers of one of the country's top loop carrier system providers as well as Lucent's established distribution channels and support capabilities. ''Clearly this puts us in a stronger position to compete against companies like Alcatel (CGEP.PA),'' Faw said. Industry analysts have projected the DSL market at five to 10 million lines by the year 2000, Faw said. Today's agreement is the next step in a pact announced earlier this year, when Lucent first agreed to integrate Westell's ADSL technology into its digital loop carrier systems. Lucent's digital loop carrier systems combined with Westell's ADSL modems telecommunications service providers can offer customers the ability to download information, for example from the Internet, at speeds up to eight megabits per second, or more than 200 times faster than today's typical 28.8 kilobit per second modems. ''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 service,'' Linda Manchester, Lucent's director of Access Solutions Strategy and Business Development, said in a statement. Faw said Westell would vigorously pursue other alliances or acquisitions if customers would be better served. Shares of Westell traded off 11/16 at 14-5/16. Lucent was down 3 at 75-3/16. biz.yahoo.com