[Aware, Inc. Announces Availability of Universal ADSL Modems, Modules and Software]
First Products that Facilitate Simplified Version of ADSL Supported by PC, Networking and Telecommunications Leaders
BEDFORD, Mass., Jan. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Aware, Inc. (NASDAQ:AWRE), a worldwide leader in xDSL (digital subscriber line) technology, today announced the availability of the first products consistent with Universal ADSL, an emerging standard for delivering high-speed Internet access to the mass market. Universal ADSL was announced earlier today by the Universal ADSL Working Group (UAWG), a consortium of leaders from the PC, networking and telecommunications industries, including Compaq, Microsoft and Intel, as well as Aware.
Universal ADSL enables voice and high-speed data communications to coexist on a single copper telephone wire without the need for a voice-data "splitter" on the customer premise side of the connection. As a result, businesses and consumers will be able to download information from the Internet at speeds of up to 1.5 Mbps, more than 25 times faster than today's fastest analog modems, without any disruption in their normal telephone service. With broad support from the PC and telecommunications industries, Universal ADSL offers simple "plug and play" installation and the assurance that products and services will work together.
"Universal ADSL effectively pulls the cork out of the bandwidth bottleneck by solving the problems associated with delivering cost-effective, high-speed Internet access to homes and businesses," said Jim Bender, president and chief executive officer of Aware. "Universal ADSL promises to deliver the Internet's full potential for a rich, multimedia environment."
Aware's DSL Lite(TM) product line features the x200 Lite, a PC-compatible modem for use on the client or customer end, and the AW910 Lite, a transceiver module for installation at the local telephone carrier's central office. Both products are based on DMT (discrete multitone) ADSL, the industry standard for full-rate ADSL, and incorporate Aware's splitterless DMT technology. All DSL Lite products are rate adaptive and support speeds up to 1.5 Mbps downstream and 512 kbps upstream.
Aware also offers a software upgrade for the Analog Devices/Aware ADmsp910 ADSL central office chipset that enables existing Analog Devices/Aware chipsets to interoperate with DSL Lite and other Universal ADSL modems. This upgrade enables OEMs using the Analog Devices/Aware chipset in their equipment to upgrade for operation in splitterless lite mode.
Aware's DSL Lite products can achieve high-speed data transfer over local loops of up to 22,000 feet, accept a wide variety of home-wiring configurations and feature an upward migration path to full-rate ADSL. Both DSL Lite products are expected to be shipping in production quantities by the end of the first quarter 1998 and Aware is accepting orders now. Plans for internal PC modems that incorporate DSL Lite will be announced at a future date.
In addition to supporting the expected Universal ADSL specification, Aware also offers full-rate ADSL products that support the ANSI T1.413 standard for DMT, a modulation technique which Aware pioneered.
About the UAWG
The Universal ADSL Working Group (UAWG) is an unprecedented alliance of PC industry giants Compaq, Intel and Microsoft and telecommunications leaders Ameritech, Bell Atlantic, BellSouth, GTE, SBC Communications, Sprint and U.S. West, supported by networking and semiconductor leaders, including 3Com Corporation, Alcatel, Analog Devices, Ariel Corporation, Aware, Cisco Systems, Copper Mountain Networks, Covad Communications, DSC Communications, Ericsson, Globespan Semiconductor, Lucent Technologies, MCI, Netspeed, Nortel (Northern Telecom), Rockwell Semiconductor Systems, Siemens, Texas Instruments, Tut Systems and Westell Technologies.
The UAWG is working to deliver an open, interoperable extension of the ANSI standard T1.413 ADSL to the International Telecommunications Union for consideration in 1998. With the goal of providing consumers with assurance that ADSL products and services will work together, the UAWG's work will leverage currently planned equipment deployment for full-rate ADSL and help to provide a seamless migration path from today's modems. In addition, the group aims to maximize the economy, speed and efficiency of both full-rate and Universal ADSL deployment. More information on the Universal ADSL Working Group is available on the group's Web site at uawg.org.
"Aware is committed to working closely with the UAWG to complete the Universal ADSL specification," Bender stated. "Our strategy is to work with the leading OEMs in the PC and telecommunications industries to ensure that end-to-end solutions are available and compatible."
SOURCE Aware, Inc.
-0- 1/26/98
/CONTACT: Kristin Griffin of Aware, Inc., 781-687-0500, kgriffin@aware.com or Michael Shirer of Marenghi & Associates, 781-239-0057, mshirer@marenghi.com/
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/Web site: aware.com |
