Alcatel SA and Compaq Computer Corp are to launch joint ADSL marketing ventures in Europe. The companies already work together in the US, with Compaq’s Presario PCs containing Alcatel ‘Speed Touch’ ADSL modems, and now the two firms have decided demand in the European market is sufficiently great to jointly promote the high-speed internet connection the UK, Belgium, Sweden and Italy. A spokesperson for Alcatel said regulatory systems in EU countries have prevented ADSL catching on as quickly as in the US, but this is starting to change. Compaq said it plans to start shipping the ADSL-enabled PCs in Europe at the beginning of next year. The relationship between the two firms stems from the CeBIT conference in Hamburg in March, when they both launched ADSL products.
