CeBIT 2002: FRITZ!Card DSL Successfully Launched - AVM Expects Growth and Fierce Competition in ADSL Terminal
Berlin/Hanover (ots)
AVM expects increasing competition in the ADSL terminal equipment market, according to Managing Director Johannes Nill, speaking at the AVM press conference on the opening day of CeBIT. At the same time, Nill gave a positive account of the German market introduction of AVM's FRITZ!Card DSL. "Our idea of combining ADSL and ISDN in one, and outfitting FRITZ!Card DSL with a comprehensive software package, has met with enthusiastic acceptance," This reception has been corroborated by numerous victories in comparison tests, by dealers' feedback, and by network operators' interest in the product. Right from the start, the combined ADSL/ISDN card took up a leading position among the ADSL terminal devices available since the market was thrown open. In the future, Nill expects "fierce competition" in the ADSL terminal equipment market. "The growing DSL market is attracting many companies, even if some are only looking for short-term sales." AVM is in a strong position, Nill continued, since quality is what counts over the long term. "We want to stay out in front in the race for the customers." Two new ADSL products from AVM are making their debut at this year's CeBIT. One is the first product to transport ADSL data over Bluetooth, while the other, FRITZ!Card DSL USB, brings AVM's unique ADSL/ISDN controller to those who prefer external devices.
Deutsche Telekom and Other Network Operators Interested in FRITZ!Card DSL
The success of FRITZ!Card DSL is the result of detailed preparation. A complete hardware and software solution was developed at AVM in Berlin especially for the typically European "ADSL over ISDN" line. Before its official launch, FRITZ!Card DSL was successful in a field test conducted by Deutsche Telekom AG and in interoperability testing by the international DSL Forum, and passed tests by the independent Cetecom institute. Deutsche Telekom was the first network operator to include FRITZ!Card DSL in its own product line under the name "Teledat 320 PCI". QSC, which claims to be Germany's leading alternative ADSL provider, is now also introducing the "ADSL over ISDN" line, and using FRITZ!Card DSL in its own field tests. Swisscom has subjected the AVM product to extensive tests and certified it for use in the Swiss network. Other European network operators who are poised to adopt the "ADSL over ISDN" standard are using FRITZ!Card DSL for interoperability tests.
The Next Steps: ADSL on USB and ADSL over Bluetooth
AVM presents still more firsts in DSL technology at CeBIT 2002. FRITZ!Card DSL USB is the first external adapter to combine ADSL and ISDN in one device. Furthermore, it is the first to combine the connections to the ISDN NT and the ADSL splitter in one cable. FRITZ!Card DSL USB is ideally suited for versatile use at different locations, providing notebooks with a simple way to connect to ISDN and the Internet. And in a technology demonstration, AVM presents the advantages of wireless communication for ADSL and ISDN with "DSL over Bluetooth". Another highlight: the internal PCI adapter FRITZ!Card DSL shows its strength in video conferencing with the AVM software Alice. FRITZ!Card DSL significantly lowers latency, thus attaining a degree of user-friendliness unknown up to now in this type of application.
FRITZ!Card DSL Active: The New Web Service from AVM
Also premiering at CeBIT is AVM's new Web service. As international version the FRITZ!Card DSL is launched, AVM presents a web site with complete information for DSL users at www.avm.de/DSL/active. All important topics will be available at a glance from one location: updates with a version history; current tips and application examples; a direct feedback channel to the AVM developers; and contact to AVM support. A five year warranty period and AVM's familiar free support for the life of the product make AVM's FRITZ!Card DSL complete.
Dealers and Retail Markets are Primary Distribution Channels - FRITZ!Card DSL from 1&1 and AOL
The opening of the German market for ADSL terminal equipment also opens a new growth segment for dealers. Specialty dealers and retail markets are the main distribution channels for FRITZ!Card DSL. Dealers now have access to all DSL products, from hardware to software, and are able to offer comprehensive and customized solutions. FRITZ!Card DSL completes the range of communications peripherals with a DSL option. The main distribution channel is supplemented by DSL providers such as 1&1 and AOL.
Successful in Industry Press Testing
Within two months of its introduction, FRITZ!Card DSL had already undergone extensive tests by various industry magazines. The results are consistently positive: first place in CHIP magazine's terminal equipment test; winner of the PC Praxis comparison test; purchase recommendation from GameStar; best connection benchmarks in PC Professionell. FRITZ!Card DSL earned particular praise for its high throughput rates, rapid response times (ping reply), and multi-user support. The complete software package with FRITZ!web DSL for easy, secure Internet dial-in and comprehensive diagnostic tools for more transparency were also favorably mentioned.
The Professional Solution: FRITZ!Card DSL Together with KEN! DSL
Wide-ranging possibilities for small and medium-sized businesses and personal LAN users are available when FRITZ!Card DSL teams up with the LAN-based communications software KEN! DSL, as AVM's CeBIT presentation demonstrates. The perfectly tuned single-supplier combination provides small PC networks with high-speed Internet access, e-mail over DSL and the full spectrum of ISDN communications, from fax to telephony. Communication is made simpler and cheaper by a built-in mail server for internal and external e-mail and a caching proxy for still faster and safer Internet access.
KEN! DSL at CeBIT with New Capabilities
KEN! DSL also appears with new features at CeBIT 2002. The newest version can filter out undesired e-mail and attachments, for example. KEN!'s new spam filters keep such mail out of the network and away from users. KEN! can block e-mail attachments that may contain viruses, or quarantine them for inspection by a virus scanner. Another new feature is the automatic e-mail reply function. In addition to forwarding a user's mail to a substitute during vacations, KEN! can now return a customized out-of-office message to the sender. KEN! can perform this service for all users in the network, regardless of the e-mail program they use and without complicated, time-consuming configuration work on the provider's server. Access control to the Internet has also been enhanced. The new version of KEN! provides a new function in addition to the existing content filter and ad blocker. The new option can be used to specify which Internet sites are to be made accessible, while all other sites are prohibited. All of the new features will be available to KEN! users this summer as a free download, and will also be implemented in the ISDN version of KEN!.
Contact:
AVM Computersysteme Vertriebs GmbH
Urban Bastert
Alt-Moabit 95
Press Relations Office
D-10559 Berlin
Tel. +49-(0)-30-39 97 62 14
Tel. +49-(0)30-39 97 60
Fax +49-(0)30-39 97 66 40
www.avm.de
E-mail u.bastert@avm.de
Original content of: AVM GmbH, transmitted by news aktuell