DSL Forum Embraces All DSL Technologies

Global Authority on Broadband Access Expands Focus

Technical Committee Advances All DSL Technologies

Montreux, Switzerland (November 30, 1999) -- ADSL Forum members voted to change the name to DSL Forum during a week of technical and marketing meetings in Switzerland. Members of the Forum are providers of telecommunications and computer equipment and services, working together to facilitate the mass market deployment of digital subscriber line (DSL) world-wide.

"This change reflects the broad perspective of our work which encompasses the whole family of DSL technologies," said Hans-Erhard Reiter, chairman of DSL Forum.

As ADSL (asymmetric DSL) moves into mass market deployment world-wide, other DSL technologies providing high speed data transfer over the world's 800-million copper telephone lines are rapidly emerging and proprietary DSLs are moving towards standardisation.

According to market analyst Daniel Briere, President of TeleChoice, Inc. "Global DSL subscriber numbers are expected to grow at least 400 percent next year, driving the entry of the mainstream telecom players into more markets. Yielding greater competition and lower price points for average consumers, DSL in 2000 will deliver on the promise to become a true mass market broadband access technology."

Current and emerging DSL technologies - from ADSL to VDSL (very high bit-rate DSL) - are under DSL Forum's spotlight for technical development, interoperability and marketing communication. Working meetings in Switzerland developed recommendations for the application of the Forum's extensive technical work on ADSL to symmetric DSL (SDSL). SDSL is an umbrella term for a number of supplier-specific implementations over a single copper pair providing variable rate symmetric service, either with or without standard telephone service over the same line. SDSL is moving towards standardisation within ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute) and the Forum's recommendations will accelerate that process. At the same time, SHDSL is being moved towards standardisation within the ITU (International Telecommunications Union).

VDSL, combining fiber and copper infrastructure, is expected to facilitate effective services to campus sites - from education to business parks - and multi-dwelling units (MDUs) - both residential and small business. In Switzerland, a Forum study group began to document key technical and marketing evolution milestones to facilitate VDSL interoperability and deployment.

VoDSL

With all the key players in the industry united, aggressive work continues within a DSL Forum working group toward shaping the direction of Voice over DSL (VoDSL) technology. The work is focused on convergence of new voice and data technologies - particularly the advantages for small businesses and telecommunications service providers - while addressing the need for a standards-based, compatible and interoperable voice service.

CPE Evolution

By February 2000, DSL Forum intends to formalize an important Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) recommendation. CPE auto-configuration will automatically allow the user access to DSL service through a modem connected to an installed, pre-configured telephone line. In September 1999, the ATM (asynchronous transfer mode) Architecture and Network Management Working Group created a study group to focus on CPE auto-configuration. This is advancing an architecture and standard recommendation to enable easy development, enforce uniform equipment behavior from multiple vendors and facilitate the rapid adoption of DSL.

"After intense examination, the study group has progressed a consensus view on how to configure the CPE with 'Connection Parameters,'" said Gavin Young, DSL Forum technical chairman. "This is the minimal requirement to connect CPE to DSL networks so that service providers can accelerate the deployment of DSL, reduce operational costs and rapidly reach consumer markets."

Interoperability Remains a Major Focus

By the next main DSL Forum meeting in Paris in February 2000, one of three planned equipment testing events for the first quarter will have been completed, building on the work of the Forum's three 1999 'plugfest' interoperability events.

In Paris, the Forum will host a Summit meeting on Tuesday 8 February 2000, open to members and non-members alike. Theme for the Summit is "DSL - the Enabling Technology" with sessions on home networking, leading-edge applications and regulation already scheduled.

Further information on DSL Forum is available at www.adsl.com. The DSL Forum also provides a central resource for DSL information to end users world-wide on its consumer Web site at www.dsllife.com.

About DSL Forum

DSL Forum is a non-profit international organization of about 275 companies representing the world's computer, networking and telecommunications industries. Established in 1994, it is dedicated to the development and mass market deployment of broadband communications technologies based on DSL over existing copper telephone cable infrastructures.

DSL technology provides a high-speed connection to the Internet, corporate intranets and other data sources with almost unlimited opportunities for "information on demand". It facilitates improved online shopping, video gaming, telecommuting and more. Allowing data to be sent at high speeds over a standard telephone line, DSL meets the accelerating demand for fast remote access to the Internet and corporate networks. Because the service is always connected, end users do not need to dial in or wait for call set-up.

ADSL (asymmetric DSL) is currently moving into mass market deployment around the world. It offers differing upload and download speeds and can deliver up to eight megabits of data per second (8000K) from the network to the customer - dramatically faster than other services currently available to the consumer market and to many smaller businesses. ADSL enables voice and high-speed data to be sent simultaneously over the existing telephone line. Building on the momentum of DSL deployments, G.lite is a specific version of ADSL developed for the consumer market that allows Internet access at up to 30 times the speed of the fastest 56K analog modems.

Successful world-wide commercial deployments are well underway in both business and residential markets. Further information on DSL Forum is available at www.adsl.com. The DSL Forum also provides a central resource for DSL information to end users world-wide on its consumer Web site at www.dsllife.com.

The next DSL Forum media Summit and dedicated working meetings will take place in Paris, France from February 8-11, 2000.