Aug 25, 2000

Askey Computer Corp. announced that it expected to have an abundant supply of key components to significantly boost production of broadband modems in the 4th quarter this year.

Lin Chen-kuei, Askey president, said that his company delivered 35,000 cable modems in July, but would nearly triple that amount to 100,000 in October. Askey also shipped 25,000 ADSL routers this month. Lin said that his company has a sufficient supply of key components, including central processors, tuners, and surface audio wave filters (SAW filters), to meet its production targets.

TurboComm Tech. Inc., Taiwan's major maker of cable modems, delivered 190,000 cable models in July, more than doubling its June shipments. The company expects to deliver 1.5 million cable modems in the second half of this year, with much of the demand occurring in the traditionally peak fourth quarter.

ZyXEL Communications Corp. also expects sales to pick up in the second half. The company delivered 38,000 ADSL routers in July, a monthly high for the company, and it expects to ship 300,000 units this year. ZyXEL won a big contract to supply ADSL routers to Chunghwa Telecom Co.

Kinpo Electronics Inc. delivered 102,000 broadband cable modems last month, a slight drop from the 111,000 units shipped in June. The company estimates that its August delivery will approach the July level, explaining that supplies of integrated circuit devices from its OEM customer Terayon of the U.S. will not meet demand.

GVC Corp., a major OEM supplier of broadband modems to 3Com of the U.S., expects to markedly increase its delivery volume in September as flash memory and tuners become more readily available. The company delivered 20,000 ADSL routers last month, but expects to ship about 50,000 units this month as orders from PC makers grow.

According to an industry insider, all broadband modem manufacturers in Taiwan expect smoother product delivery in the coming months thanks to a sufficient supply of tuners and design modifications that have reduced the number of special capacitors needed in their products. However, the availability of flash memory could influence makers' delivery schedules.