BroadBand Technologies Inc has come out with the FLX PC adapter board which is claimed to enable home users to surf the Internet 1,000 times faster than via high-speed modems. Developed with Intel Corp, the FLX PC adapter is a Switched Digital Video -to-PCI local adapter, delivering fast Internet access to home computer users through high-speed residential fiber to the curb connections. The FLX PC adapter is the first member of a family of high-speed data service products for the FLX Switched Digital Video system. It works with BroadBand’s FLX-2500 System, which is claimed by the company to be the industry’s first switched digital system for the local loop that enables phone companies to offer single-jack broadband digital pathways to home subscribers for bundled high-speed Internet access, digital video and a range of other digital and telephony services. The FLX PC adapter is touted as being over 1,000 times faster than a 28.8Kbps modem on traditional telephone lines. It also offers ‘true’ Asynchronous Transfer Mode end-to-end network capability to the personal computer for high-speed, low-latency network connections of real-time services such as videoconferencing, multi-player computer games, Internet access, and work at home. The company claims that by providing a dedicated, bi-directional network connection, transaction security and reliable bandwidth both downstream and upstream, the FLX PC adapter configures as an internal plug-and-play board and comes complete wi th driver software for easy installation and operation. The board installs in PCI local bus board slots in personal computers and workstations. It supports off-the-shelf applications running on Windows95 and Windows NT, with support for additional operating systems planned for the future. It also conforms to industry standard interfaces for Switched Digital Video drop, 16CAP/QPSK, and personal computer (PCI local bus) communications. No pricing details were available and the board will not arrive until 1997.
Content from our partners
