3Com takes ADSL end-to-end

3Com Corp. last week demonstrated the first fruits of its U.S. Robotics acquisition--an end-to-end asymmetrical digital subscriber line solution.The second generation product line, named Affinity, includes asynchronous transfer mode support, network management and new versions of end user modems. The products debuted at ITU Telecom Interactive '97 in Geneva.

The key product in the family is the Affinity LC DSL access multiplexer (DSLAM), a 63-port ADSL concentrator with an ATM interface. The DSLAM targets telco central offices and Internet service providers, and it will not affect 3Com's deployment of its previous frame-based solution.

The DSLAM includes a simple network management protocol agent so it can be remotely managed from applications such as HP OpenView. 3Com also is offering a graphical application called the Transcend Affinity Manager that lets the ADSL equipment be configured, managed and monitored centrally.

The other products include the Cobra-DSL modem for residents and telecommuters, which transfers data up to 2.5 Mb/s; the Viper-DSL multi-user modem, which supports a workgroup on an Ethernet local area network and can deliver ADSL services up to 7 Mb/s; and the Affinity POTS splitter that transmits simultaneous voice and multimegabit data on the same line. The end-to-end solution starts below $900 per line.

The announcement is significant because a lot of players addressing DSL can provide the telco solution but not the customer premises solution, said Kieran Taylor, broadband consultant for TeleChoice Inc.

"When you get U.S. Robotics/3Com behind DSL, it's an indication that consumerization of the technology is underway," Taylor said.