Alcatel recently unleashed a flurry of new DSL news, including enhancements to its DSLAM 7300 Advanced Services Access Manager (ASAM), two new customer wins and the fact that it has shipped 20 million lines of DSL as of the third quarter.
The company has introduced a new low-profile, high-density remote DSLAM requiring very low power. Jay Fausch, senior director of marketing, says the new DSLAM fills a niche between Alcatel's large and small (eight-line) remote terminal products. The new box, which supports up to 216 DSL subscribers, includes a 24-port card, nine slots and has built-in splitters. Also Alcatel announced that its products, through a new software load now available, can now support DSL Forum Technical Report 37-compliant auto configuration. The TR defines the communications needed to take place between the network and a piece of DSL CPE to perform auto configuration of network communication parameters, explains Fausch. The bottom line is that support of the TR will enable DSL CPE to be sold retail and will allow carriers using the equipment to automate the ordering and configuration processes.
In customer news, Alcatel has won a multimillion dollar DSL contract from Zhejiang Telecom for approximately 180,000 lines. This contract -- won through Alcatel Shanghai Bell, Alcatel's flagship Chinese company -- follows an 80,000 line contract from the operator to Alcatel in May 2002. Meanwhile, the Alcatel 7300 ASAM will allow Telstra to offer both residential and business services, while providing a migration path to new broadband-based entertainment services. Recent feature enhancements to the Alcatel 7300 ASAM include the multiservice Internet Protocol Services Module (ISM) which can potentially bring higher-value, IP-based services to the subscriber.
