3Com Corporation today announced its ITU G.dmt and G.lite CPE ADSL strategy encompassing solutions for small and home businesses, telecommuters and consumers who want to enjoy on-line information, entertainment and future services over high-speed ADSL connections of up to 8 Mbps. Also unveiled today are the OfficeConnect Remote 811 ADSL router, the internal U.S. Robotics PCI ADSL modem, and the external U.S. Robotics USB ADSL modem. The 3Com G.dmt ADSL products give users the flexibility of full-rate ADSL implementation today and the ability to migrate to the evolving G.lite specification later this year. Today`s announcements leverage 3Com`s worldwide leadership in customer premises equipment(CPE) and expertise in driving standards and customer adoption of emerging Internet access technologies. "3Com`s comprehensive suite of flexible G.dmt solutions will help shift ADSL service and equipment closer to the mass market model," says Laura Howard, vice president of marketing and business development, 3Com`s ADSL initiatives. "Our strategy and products announced today demonstrate to customers our ability to deliver on our strategy of fully programmable ADSL routers and modems supporting current and evolving industry standards." "Lucent acknowledges the market adoption of G.dmt as the standard for ADSL and applauds 3Com`s launch of their G.dmt CPE product portfolio," says Linda Manchester, director of ADSL business management and strategy for Lucent. According to 3Com SA`s regional director, Buddie Ceronie, 3Com`s four-pronged G.dmt CPE strategy is based on the understanding that mass market ADSL deployment relies primarily on the ADSL vendors` ability to deliver complete compatibility between consumer and service provider equipment. "The first component to the strategy is to partner with leading Central Office (CO) equipment vendors delivering G.dmt solutions to ensure complete standards-based interoperability," he says. The second element to deliver market-moving ADSL CPE is to support both full-rate G.dmt and G.lite "splitterless" ITU specifications in one product package. Customers receive the benefits of investment protection because of its highly flexible and fully programmable Digital Signal Processor-based (DSP) products, Ceronie explains. "With an easy-to-use and easy-to-understand graphical user interface, 3Com ensures that customers will be able to easily migrate to G.dmt and G.lite as the standards evolve and their bandwidth needs change," he says. The third component to 3Com`s G.dmt CPE strategy is to offer low-priced small business and consumer solutions. Ceronie points out that affordable ADSL products allow for faster consumer adoption while also encouraging service providers to realise ADSL`s business potential in both the office and home markets. 3Com`s fourth strategic approach is to offer a broad suite of ADSL G.dmt CPE products to move ADSL into several market segments to increase widespread ADSL use. 3Com`s ADSL G.dmt/G.lite CPE product family includes both internal and external modems, and multiprotocol, multi-user router products to satisfy telecommuters, power users, and small business ADSL market requirements. 3Com DMT ADSL CPE Solutions The OfficeConnect Remote 811 ADSL router balances sophisticated routing functionality with ease-of-use installation and management capabilities. Small and home businesses can experience the benefits -- without the complexities - of high-speed ADSL access with the OfficeConnect 811`s simplicity features, like browser-based web management and a point-and-click configuration tool. The OfficeConnect Remote 811 ADSL router is the newest member of 3Com`s award-winning OfficeConnect brand networking solutions for small businesses. 3Com has developed the OfficeConnect brand solutions specifically for non-technical small business users. "The solution family comprises more than 30 mix-and-match stackable products including hubs, routers, switches and LAN modems that allow small businesses to scale and evolve their networks as their businesses grow and technology needs change," he says. "The OfficeConnect Remote 811 ADSL router continues the OfficeConnect family tradition with its ease-of-use, price/performance characteristics, flexibility and low cost-of-ownership." The OfficeConnect Remote 811 ADSL router provides full-rate DMT support and is G.lite-capable. Its main features include: *true megabit speed connections -- 8 mbps downstream and 1 mbps upstream; * interoperability with widely-deployed G.dmt DSLAM and DLC head-end equipment; * full standards-based multiprotocol routing to support IP or IPX environments; * flexible support for either full-rate G.dmt or sub-rate G.lite; * integrated four-port hub for LAN connectivity; * integrated DHCP server for ease in IP address management; * PAT and NAT support to consolidate Internet accounts for cost-effective shared access; * ILMI 4.0 support for service provisioning; * ATM over ADSL support (RFC 1483 and PPP) to support isochronous delivery, and; * browser-based web management for the easiest configuration and management. The U.S. Robotics USB ADSL Modem and U.S. Robotics PCI ADSL Modem 3Com will deliver both external and internal ADSL modems for power users, telecommuters and residential ADSL applications. These products also support both G.dmt and G.lite ADSL standards. The U.S. Robotics USB ADSL modem is an external modem that supports the increasingly popular Universal Serial Bus interface. The U.S. Robotics PCI ADSL modem is an internal ADSL modem that gives power-users a low-cost, space-saving alternative. Both deliver the ease-of-use U.S. Robotics brand customers have come to depend on, such as local GUI-based configuration and support for the ILMI 4.0 standard for service provisioning. Customers will benefit from the following features of the new ADSL modems: * true megabit speed connections -- 8 mbps downstream and 1 mbps upstream; * interoperability with widely-deployed G.dmt DSLAM and DLC head-end equipment; * ATM over ADSL support (RFC 1483 and PPP) to support isochronous delivery; * ILMI 4.0 support for service provisioning; * Plug-and-play support for Windows95 and Windows98 for easy installation; * Support for Windows NT environment, and; * Intuitive Graphical User Interface for configuration and management. 3Com Drives ADSL Standard Evolution 3Com plays an important role in the standardisation of ADSL, participating in the ADSL Forum (founding member), the Universal ADSL Working Group (UAWG) (contributor status) and the ITU ADSL Working Group. "Our commitment to standards is driven by our obsession to drive ADSL to mass market deployment that will only happen through interoperable solutions based on industry standards," Ceronie adds. The OfficeConnect Remote 811 ADSL router and the U.S. Robotics PCI ADSL modem are expected to become available worldwide in September 1998. The U.S. Robotics USB ADSL modem is expected to ship worldwide in November.
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