Westell
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| Westell Technologies | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Type | Public |
| Founded | 1980 |
| Headquarters | Aurora, Illinois, USA |
| Key people | Thomas Mader, President and CEO |
| Industry | Communication Equipment |
| Products | DSL modems |
| Employees | 858 |
| Website | www.westell.com |
Westell Technologies, Inc. NASDAQ: WSTL is an Aurora, Illinois company whose primary business is producing DSL modems for the home and small office. Westell is the last company to manufacture DSL modems in the United States; however, on May 21, 2007, Westell announced plans to outsource manufacturing.
[edit] History
Westell was founded in October 1980 in Willowbrook, Illinois, and initially produced electronic equipment used for signaling and transmission on telephone lines leased to private customers. Beginning in 1992, Westell began developing ADSL products. By the time of its IPO in 1995, Westell was a prominent DSLAM manufacturer. The company moved out of this business in the wake of the stock market downturn of 2002, and now focuses primarily on manufacturing DSL modems.
[edit] Products
Westell's primary business is the production and sale of DSL modems for the home and small office. More advanced models offer additional features and can act as an Ethernet switch and wireless access point. Rather than selling through retail channels, Westell typically sells its products to telephone companies, who in turn supply modems to new subscribers.
Westell's other businesses include Network Service Access (NSA) products and conferencing services through a subsidiary, ConferencePlus.
