Coming Together For DSL: Computer giants, telcos join for consumer-friendly products

Computer titans are getting buddy-buddy with telcos, agreeing to pursue a standard for consumer-friendly digital subscriber line technology.

The computing companies-Microsoft, Intel and Compaq, dubbed "MIC" by DSL vendors-are working on interoperable DSL-compliant consumer products and hope to have them in stores by the end of the year, according to industry experts. A formal announcement is expected at ComNet in Washington this week.

Telcos involved include GTE and all Bell regional holding companies. Bell Atlantic was originally reported to be holding out but will now join the group.

"Everybody's going to join," said an optimistic Jim Bender, CEO at Aware Inc., Bedford, Mass., developer of the splitterless DSL approach targeted by the consortium (Telephony, Jan. 12, page 8). "It's going to be a three-ring circus."

Vendors expect MIC to advocate G.lite, the splitterless DSL standard, because it reduces installation time and cost by eliminating the need for an external POTS splitter. Aware's product, which supports data rates of 384 kb/s upstream and 1.5 Mb/s downstream and can be implemented on a PCMCIA card, has been tested by the MIC group, along with other vendor offerings.

MIC wants to settle the parameters of G.lite to submit the specification to the ITU-T when it meets in Geneva in February, according to DSL industry insiders.

Microsoft already has defined what it wants in terms of easily deployable DSL, including a price of less than $200 (Telephony, Dec. 8, 1997, page 8). It is unclear, however, which of several competing line coding standards-including discrete multitone (DMT) and carrierless amplitude/phase (CAP) modulation-the group will choose.

While Microsoft and Compaq wouldn't comment, an Intel spokesman said, "If we can rally around a DSL spec, then when products hit the market, it makes it easier for us and our consumers." Intel is interested in high-speed PC architecture and wants to optimize universal serial bus connections for DSL.

Last week, Ameritech announced that Compaq would test the modems and network interface cards the carrier is using for its Ameritech.net high-speed Internet service. Customers in parts of Michigan will be able to purchase specially configured Compaq computers.

"The reason these companies are interested is not only for the speed," said George Zimmerman, chief scientist at PairGain, which released its DMT chip last week. "The extra features in the PC are what are going to push the buyer over the edge."

Meanwhile, hardware makers that promise to participate fully with MIC and standards efforts to accelerate DSL deployment continue to release disparate products. Lucent Technologies, which last week announced its WildWire DSL chipset for installation in PCs, and NetSpeed, a DMT advocate, said they would support the consortium.

Diamond Lane, which recently released its CAP-based framing format for free to makers of DSL products, said it would support the group's decision. Alcatel's previously announced plans to provide DSL products to several Bell regional holding companies will not be affected by MIC's plans, a spokesman said.

At least one analyst had doubts. "If the group is successful by Christmas, but the service providers haven't kept up with offering services, there could be some serious backlash," warned John Hunter, broadband analyst at TeleChoice.

OBJECTIVES OF MIC Easy-to-use splitterless DSL: Plug-and-play modems

Standards-based technology: DMT or CAP

Fast deployment: Products by Christmas