Conexant Systems Launches DSL Chip

Newport Beach semiconductor manufacturer Conexant Systems Inc., joining the growing competition for home-networking equipment, unveiled a chip Monday that will allow people to use their traditional copper phone lines to get high-speed access to the Net.

AccessRunner, the chip used for digital subscriber line connections, is designed to simplify telephone modems and lower the price of having a fast connection to the Net. The chip is compatible with a new industry standard for this kind of technology.

Because the market is littered with technologies, manufacturers have pushed to create a standard and make products that can work together seamlessly to speed wide-scale adoption of digital subscriber lines.

But industry analysts note that such a roll-out has hit a lull. Experts cite a bitter struggle among equipment manufacturers, many of whom want their own products and technologies adopted as the industry standard.