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To: flickerful who wrote (3761)	6/3/1998 9:00:00 AM
From: David Lawrence	Respond to of 9236

Rockwell Combo Chipset Enables Consumer Modem Connections from 56Kbps to Full-Rate "Always On" 8Mbps ADSL, With Simultaneous Voice and Data Operation NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 3, 1998-- Client modem chipset will quickly be complemented by a central-office solution to ensure seamless, end-to-end connectivity. Rockwell Semiconductor Systems has entered the market for next-generation consumer modems with a low-power chipset that supports the full range of legacy analog modems and Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) modems using the industry-standard Discrete Multitone (DMT) ADSL line-code technique. Rockwell's versatile V.90/ADSL combo chipset is also the first with a multitasking architecture that allows it to support simultaneous operations such as concurrent voice and ADSL, concurrent fax and ADSL, or concurrent legacy analog modem and ADSL. The chipset provides the most comprehensive features set of any ADSL modem chipset to date, including a scaleable architecture that will enable it to support an emerging set of specifications called G.lite that telcos are expected to adopt early next year. G.lite is expected to make it possible for telcos to deploy consumer-oriented, "always-on" 1.5Mbps Internet access services without the need for splitter equipment or wiring changes at the customer premises. Rockwell's V.90/ADSL chipset is the first product to emerge from the company's recently announced joint development relationship with ADSL equipment leader PairGain Technologies Inc. The relationship combines Rockwell's leadership in legacy analog modems and xDSL technology with PairGain's expertise in ADSL processor technology and equipment. Both Rockwell's new client-side V.90/ADSL modem chipset and the company's soon-to-be-announced central-site ADSL modem chipset are based on PairGain's Falcon technology, the industry's first single-chip 8Mbps DMT ADSL processor. PairGain recently received an innovation award for its Falcon technology from the Southern California chapter of the American Electronics Association (AEA). "Rockwell's first entry into the client ADSL modem marketplace draws on more than 40 years of modem experience and another half-dozen years of pioneering xDSL work," said Moiz Beguwala, vice president and general manager of Rockwell's Personal Computing Division. "We will now be playing a prominent and very active role in helping to bring ADSL technology to our huge installed modem base." Rockwell will be working closely with leading telcos and equipment suppliers to ensure interoperability between its consumer-side and central-side ADSL modem products, in full support of both existing and emerging standards and the telcos' multi-tiered ADSL service roll-out plans. ADSL services are expected to be deployed in a variety of flavors, including full-rate industry-standard ADSL (up to 8Mbps) and the emerging 1.5Mbps G.lite standard, also known as Universal ADSL (UADSL). This standard is expected to make ADSL modems as easy for the consumer to install and use as analog modems. "Our goal is to help our customers provide consumers with the most complete solution and satisfying product experience possible for accessing next-generation data services," said Mike Neshat, director of client DSL products for Rockwell's Personal Computing Division. "We believe that these multipurpose modems must offer the full range of analog and ADSL modem connectivity while providing a variety of concurrent operations. We've created an extremely compact, low-power solution that is optimized for industry-standard DMT ADSL services that telcos are already deploying, ideally suited for emerging 1.5Mbps consumer ADSL services, and easily upgradeable to future capabilities." Optimized for Flexibility And A Robust Feature Set Rockwell has selected a modem chipset architecture that offers the greatest flexibility with the most robust feature set possible for accessing a wide variety of next-generation data services. The three-chip set solution is the lowest-power solution available, dissipating less than 2 watts. It has been optimized to provide the lowest-cost combination available for both the V.90 analog standard and the T1.413 Issue II DMT ADSL standard that has been adopted by most U.S. telcos. Additionally, Rockwell's scaleable 56Kbps/ADSL chipset can easily be re-programmed to support the International Telecommunications Union's (ITU's) emerging G.lite specification for low-cost, splitterless consumer ADSL services at 1.5Mbps downstream and 512Kbps upstream. G.lite is being endorsed and promoted by a consortium of telecommunications industry leaders called the Universal ADSL Working Group (UAWG), of which Rockwell is an active member. Unlike full-rate T1.413 DMT ADSL, G.lite will eliminate the need for telcos to install splitter equipment at the customer premises, and is expected to be a key driver in bringing low-cost multi-megabit Internet access services to consumers over the existing infrastructure of copper telephone lines. Rockwell has been a pioneering leader in splitterless DSL technology since the mid-1990s. General sampling of Rockwell's V.90/ADSL chipset will be timed to coincide with finalization of the G.lite specifications, which is expected to occur during the fourth quarter of 1998. Limited sampling will begin prior to that as Rockwell rolls out its central-site ADSL modem chipsets and begins early feature-set evaluation and field tests with telcos and equipment manufacturers. Volume production will begin in the first quarter of 1999. The chipset will be priced at $67.50 in 10,000-unit volumes.