3Com targets home users with G.lite DSL offering
Networking pioneer 3Com has expanded its relationship with DSL specialist Copper Mountain in an attempt to boost the uptake of high-speed internetworking technology in the home.
The announcement came at this week's DSLcon '99 conference in Virginia.
The partnership has previously focused on promoting DSL adoption among its business customers, but now wants to deliver G.Lite solutions to a far broader market, comprising telecommuters, small businesses and residential users. "[We] have forged a strategic alliance to propel DSL into the consumer marketplace, which is the next frontier for DSL expansion," said Jerry Devlin, VP and general manager of 3Com's personal communications division.
Devlin claimed G.Lite would be attractive to consumers because of the relatively low investment requirement by users for kit, ease of installation and delivery of voice and data services over the same line. A range of G.Lite DSL customer premise equipment (CPE) is already being developed.
3Com will provide a raft of CPE equipment and concentrators that support the recently ratified International Telecommunication Union (ITU) G.Lite standard. These include the HomeConnect DSL modem PCI -- which slots inside a user's home PC -- and the HomeConnect ADSL modem Ethernet, which connects to any networked hub, switch or workstation -- PC or otherwise -- via a Network Interface Card (NIC). "The products are readily deployable here in the UK," confirmed Mikko Summala. "We recently introduced the HomeConnect brand portfolio for consumers, and we will be adding USB products in the near future."
Copper Mountain joins the party with a new G.Lite line card that plugs into its existing CopperEdge DSL concentrators. This allows the concentrators to work concurrently with Symmetric DSL (SDSL) and ISDN DSL (IDSL) line cards to enable carriers to use a single platform to provide both business and residential DSL services.
Copper Mountain hasn't made it to this side of the pond yet in person, understandably pre-occupied with the xDSL roll-out across the states. However, 3Com confirmed that interoperability partners in the UK for its G.Lite initiative would include Nokia, Ericsson, Newbridge, Lucent, Alcatel and Cisco. BT announced xDSL in 412 locations around the UK in July.
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