Copper Mountain licenses DSL technology to seven chip makers

Copper Mountain licenses DSL technology to seven chip makers
By Mark LaPedus, Semiconductor Business News
August 21, 2000 (4:01 p.m. EST)
URL: http://www.eetimes.com/story/OEG20000821S0037

PALO ALTO, Calif. -- Copper Mountain Networks Inc. here today announced that it has licensed its voice-over-DSL (digital subscriber line) technology to seven chip makers, in an effort to drive down the costs of integrated access devices (IADs), gateways, and related products.

Copper Mountain, a leading supplier of DSL equipment for businesses, SOHOs, and other markets, has licensed its DSL technology to Brecis, Centillium, Conexant, GlobeSpan, ishoni, Metalink and Virata.

The chip makers will separately integrate Copper Mountain's technology into their own IC products, which will enable gateways, IADs, and other systems to support both voice and data over a DSL connection. The first chips based on Copper Mountain's DSL technology are due out by year's end, according to officials at the Palo Alto-based company.

Copper Mountain's licensing program, called the CopperSilicon initiative, will also enable chip makers to develop products that inte roperate with Copper Mountain's own line of DSL equipment, said Rick Gilbert, president and chief executive of the company.

And by having multiple sources of voice-enabled DSL-chip suppliers on the market, OEMs will be able to lower the cost of their own IADs products, Gilbert said. "Copper Mountain interoperable products from these leading semiconductor companies will help our CPE (customer premise equipment) partners bring new IADs to market more quickly," he said. "For our service provider customers, this means rapid deployment of (voice-over-DSL) services."

At present, however, a typical IAD, home/business gateway, and related system is expensive. According to Copper Mountain, a typical IAD from an OEM sells for about $150 to $200 per port.

But as more chip makers develop voice-over-DSL-enabled products, prices for an IAD are expected to drop to $100 or below per port, according to Pavan Vohra, director of business development for Copper Mountain.

"We expect IAD prices will drop to $100 p er port within the next 12 months,'' Vohra said in an interview with SBN. "That's what will drive voice-over-DSL services.''

Copper Mountain's voice-over-DSL technology is geared for all flavors of DSL, including asymmetric and symmetric DSL, he added.