ALAMEDA, Calif. — With the launch of its Release 4.7.1 firmware this month, router vendor Netopia Inc. is extending the visibility of the Multi-Link Point to Point Protocol to let Internet service providers bond multiple DSL channels for customers without the intervention of the incumbent carriers that own the network.
Netopia's routers have previously offered dual WAN card connections to bond services, but the "missing piece" has been to tie bonding more closely to DSL access multiplexers, said Barbara Tien, director of product marketing at Netopia.
The effort will begin with ISDN-over-DSL services. Since one WAN card can handle two basic-rate ISDN channels at 128 kbits/second each, a router populated with two WAN cards can bond four channels, creating a service extending to 576 kbits/s. That bonded speed can be supported to a distance of 6.8 miles from the central office.
Netopia's firmware release can already handle ISDN-over-DSL, ADS or SDSL services, and the company has WAN cards available for all three. But the ADSL and SDSL support isn't expected to ship until the third quarter.
The ISDN-over-DSL R3232-I router with firmware and WAN support is available now at a list price of $1,195. The SDSL router, R7171, will ship this fall at a similar price. Users of Netopia R series routers can obtain dual ISDN-over-DSL modules for $277 each, and firmware upgrades for $119.
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