Rockwell Semiconductor Systems Inc is pushing all of its high- bandwidth communications chip business into a single unit, its new Network Access Division, which will concentrate on technology for 56Kbps central-site modems used for Internet access concentrators, xDSL digital subscriber link terminals, T1 and E1 components, and asynchronous mode and other packet-switched wide area networking equipment. It will also work on related new products in the high-speed wide and local area networking markets. The division combines the central-site portion of Rockwell’s 56Kbps modem chip business with the high-speed digital communications portion of the Brooktree business it acquired last September (CI No 2,946). Rockwell says that as many of its customers are now using a combination of its high-bandwidth communications offerings it made sense to consolidate. The Newport Beach, California-based company, which has 44,000 employees and projects fiscal 1997 sales of $8bn, has three other divisions: the Multimedia Communications Division handles facsimile and PC modems; the Wireless Communications Division for cordless telephony and global positioning systems receiver engines; and the Digital Infotainment Division focusing on consumer electronics products. The company announced plans to spin off its automotive components business last month, and says that transaction should be completed by September of this year.
