FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Susie Reeves Centillium Contact:
Reeves & Associates   Dori Braun
(650) 577-0688 Director of Marketing, CPE Product
[email protected] (510) 360-5070
[email protected]

 

CENTILLIUM COPPERLITE CPE CHIP SET CHOSEN BY ASKEY FOR G.LITE DSL MODEM

USB Interface Technology Licensed from Intel Enables Plug-and-Play Installation and Fast Data Transfer


FREMONT, Calif. – October. 19, 1998
– Centillium Technology Corporation, a leader and innovator in the emerging market for DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) chip set solutions, today announced that its CopperLite chip set for customer premises equipment (CPE) has been selected by Askey Computer Corporation for their new G.Lite modem for personal computers. The new modem, which will be demonstrated by Askey at Fall Comdex98, provides users with high-bandwidth access to the Internet or corporate networks at speeds of 1536 kilobits per second (Kbps) downstream and 512 Kbps upstream.

The Askey G.Lite/DMT modem features a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface based on technology licensed to Centillium by Intel Corporation. The USB interface, which transfers data at the rate of 2Mbps/sec., allows consumers to utilize a DSL modem without the need to purchase or install an Ethernet interface card in their PC., thus removing a significant barrier of entry for many home computer users The USB interface also provides instant configuration and a power supply for the G.Lite modem.

"We are extremely pleased to announce that Askey, one the world’s premiere customer premises equipment makers, has chosen Centillium Technology’s CopperLite CPE chip set for their high-speed digital modem offerings," said Dori Braun, Director of Marketing CPE Products, Centillium Technology. "We specifically designed our CPE solution with the consumer market in mind. We lowered total system costs through integration, increased usability and ease of setup with a USB interface, and provided enough raw horsepower to ensure that products can be upgraded easily as DSL standards evolve."

"We chose Centillium as our DSL technology partner because CopperLite is the industry’s only CPE chip set solution that was built from the ground floor up specifically for the G.Lite/DMT standard," said Robert Lin, President, Askey Computer USA Corporation. "Consumers who must support their own personal computer demand fundamentally different features than business users who generally have an MIS department to support them. Consumers want extremely very competitive prices, easy installations, and great reliability. Centillium’s CopperLite solution addresses all of these requirements and we feel extremely confident that our jointly-developed USB digital modem solution will meet market demands and customer expectations."

CopperLite CPE Solution

The two-chip set CopperLite CPE solution consists of the CopperLite CT-L10DT01 Digital chip and CopperLite CT-L10AT01 Analog chip. Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) of personal computers and customer premises equipment can use these cost-effective, highly integrated chip sets as the foundation for developing digital modems. Unlike other G.Lite CPE chip-set solutions, the highly integrated CopperLite architecture does not require external memory or real-time microprocessor intervention. As a result, overall personal computer system performance is completely unaffected by the addition of a CopperLite-base modem.

Each CopperLite CPE chip set provides all of the required functionality for high-bandwidth, splitterless DSL services based on the proposed G.Lite/DMT standards currently being defined by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The CopperLite solution allows scalable traffic rates to be set in 32 Kbit steps, which helps DSL service providers offer multiple price points for their services. The CopperLite solution also delivers ample processing power to ensure software upgradability and future proofing over time, eliminating the need for costly hardware upgrades.

Centillium Licenses USB Technology from Intel

Originally developed by Intel and six other companies, the USB specification is a PC peripheral interface connection that makes connecting peripherals and devices to the PC as easy as plugging a phone line into a jack.

Because USB provides instant plug and play recognition, users can add or remove CopperLite-based equipment without having to install add-in cards, shut down or reboot the computer, or exit a running software application. The PC automatically recognizes, configures, and immediately enables functionality. Virtually every new PC is shipping with live USB connector ports and USB driver support.

"We are one of the first broadband communications chip set maker to license USB technology from Intel," said Braun. "The benefit for our PC OEM and CPE customers, such as Askey, is that we have integrated a USB interface into our chip set, which enables end customers to simply plug their G.Lite DSL modem into their computer and start surfing the web immediately without installation and setup hassles."

"In addition to playing a major role in creating the USB specification, Intel has been a leader in delivering USB technology to PC users," said Mark Peden, Senior Marketing Manager for Broadband at, Intel Corporation. "Our technology licensing agreement with Centillium puts USB to work in high-speed Internet access products like Askey’s new G.Lite modem."

About Askey Computer Corporation

Askey Computer Corporation, the parent company of Askey Communication USA Inc., was established in 1989 as a personal notebook computer manufacturer. Due to market trend and founders' expertise in modem design, the company switched its goal not long after that and became one of the leading manufactures of modem products. Today, Askey Computer Corporation employees more than 700 people and sells on an average of half a million units of modem each month. The Askey manufacturing facility (around 150,000 sq. ft.) is ISO-9001 certified. Devoting most of its resources to R&D and manufacturing, Askey Computer Corporation is ready to face the 21st century with innovation.

About Centillium

Founded in April 1997, Centillium Technology is a fabless semiconductor company developing ITU-T G.lite-compliant Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) solutions for manufacturers of telecommunications equipment. The company was co-founded Shahin Hedayat, Faraj Aalaei, Babu Mandava, Tony O’Toole, and Kamran Elahian, one of the best known figures in Silicon Valley. Mr. Elahian has co-founded two highly successful semiconductor companies, Neomagic and Cirrus Logic, as well as numerous other ventures.

Centillium has raised over $20 million from several leading investment firms, including U.S. Venture Partners, Walden International Ventures, Vertex Ventures, Korea Technology Banking, and VentureStar, as well corporate investors that include Askey Computer, GVC, Mitsubishi Corporation, Mitsubishi Electric, Sumitomo Electric Industries, and ZyXEL Communications. Additional information on Centillium is available at http://www.centillium.com.

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