DSL modems on tap from Ascend and Alcatel

Ascend Communications and Alcatel are offering digital subscriber line (DSL) devices that let users contact multiple locations simultaneously.

The boxes, Ascend's CellPipe 50A DSL router and Alcatel's Speed Touch Office router, allow users to set up multiple data channels over a single DSL connection. Each channel is able to connect to a different site, such as the Internet or a corporate network supporting maximum download speeds of 8M bit/sec.

Ascend plans to announce its router later this month, and Alcatel announced its device last week at the CeBIT conference in Hannover, Germany.

Both devices support an analog voice channel on the same regular phone line that carries the DSL connection. Ascend says it plans to convert that single analog channel to two digital ISDN channels with an upgrade option it will offer later this year.

Ascend also plans to add more voice channels using bandwidth borrowed from the DSL data stream, but the company has no target date for rolling out that feature.

The CellPipe 50A is available for about $1,000.

While supporting downloads up to 8M bit/sec, the Ascend and Alcatel routers require a separate device to split the voice channels from the DSL stream. But both devices can also be configured to support a slower form of DSL, known as DSL-Lite, that tops out at 1.5M bit/sec and requires no separate voice splitter.

The Ascend and Alcatel boxes are designed to interoperate with Alcatel-made gear at the carrier end of the DSL connection. That means DSL customers of certain regional Bell operating companies that have agreed to use Alcatel carrier DSL gear will have a choice of modems to buy for their end of the circuit. Ameritech, SBC and BellSouth have agreements to buy the Alcatel hardware.

While both Ascend's 50A DSL and Alcatel's Speed Touch Office devices comply with DSL standards, the standards are relatively new. It generally takes some testing and adjustments to get one company's implementation of a standard to work with another company's.

Ascend uses DSL chips made by Alcatel, which guarantees basic compatibility with Alcatel carrier DSL gear.

The DSL products work by converting Ethernet traffic from a PC into PPP and then wrapping that PPP traffic up inside ATM cells. ATM is the protocol that actually crosses the DSL wire.

ATM technology lets users set up multiple separate permanent virtual circuits (PVC) across the DSL connection. Each PVC can be used to carry traffic to a separate destination. Other DSL configurations allow traffic to go only to one location.

Ascend's CellPipe 50A can be managed by Ascend's Navis software, which lets service providers monitor customers' DSL lines and provision services.

For example, a technician from a management station within the carrier network, using Navis, could increase the bandwidth on a DSL line. No technician would have to visit the customer site.

More from Alcatel

In addition to the Speed Touch Office router, Alcatel is introducing three other DSL customer devices: Speed Touch Home, Speed Touch PC and Speed Touch USB.

Speed Touch Home is a standalone modem that can be hubbed with up to eight PCs. Speed Touch PC is a PC modem card, and Speed Touch USB is an external modem that connects via a PC's universal serial bus.

Prices for the Speed Touch gear range from $200 to $700. Speed Touch Office, PC and USB are available now. Speed Touch Home will be available in June.

Ascend: (510) 769-6001; Alcatel: (800)252-2835