Steve - this is out of my knowledge but found this on CSCC homepage:
Again, I may be comparing apples to oranges, looks like to me the
customer is buying anything they can get its hands on?
CSCO is OC-3 and CSCC is OC-12 (shoot-I dont even know what a OC is!)
casc.com
I have copied it here below...
LDDS WorldCom Selects Cascade Communications as Backbone Vendor for
Nationwide ATM and Frame Relay Networks
Purchase of CBX 500 ATM Switches will result in first worldwide
deployment of carrier-class OC-12c/STM-4, 622Mbps ATM
WESTFORD, Mass. - December 16, 1996 - In a move to increase the capacity
of its nationwide Frame Relay network, LDDS WorldCom (NASDAQ:WCOM), one
of the largest U.S.-based telecommunications companies, will purchase 27
CBX 500 Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) Switches from Cascade
Communications Corp. (NASDAQ:CSCC), the companies announced today. LDDS
WorldCom will be using the Cascade switches to establish a 622Mbps ATM
backbone for its existing Frame Relay traffic. In addition, the CBX 500
switches enable LDDS WorldCom to further expand their native ATM
offerings.
Key factors in the LDDS WorldCom selection of the CBX 500 were the
performance and architecture of the CBX 500, the high performance and
bandwidth of the OC-12c modules, and high port density of the DS3/E3
(eight port) and OC-3c/STM-1 (four port) I/O modules. Another factor in
the LDDS WorldCom selection of the CBX 500 is its capability to easily
provision end-to-end services across the Frame Relay/ATM network, saving
set-up time and costs.
"We are delighted that our carrier-class CBX 500 ATM switches have been
chosen by telecommunications leader LDDS WorldCom," said Robert Machlin,
vice president of marketing at Cascade Communications Corp. "In this
bandwidth-hungry market, along with high-performance ATM services, the
CBX 500 will add the backbone capacity to scale their existing network
to deliver new services."
In implementing the CBX 500s, LDDS WorldCom is the first interexchange
carrier to offer carrier-class OC-12c, 622Mbps speeds. Cascade designed
the CBX 500 with OC-12c/STM-4 support from the outset, making the
introduction of this capability the simple insertion of a linecard into
the high capacity switch. (See attached sidebar for additional
information on OC-12c/STM-4, 622Mbps ATM.)
"Today, OC-12c speeds can accommodate the massive growth of networks in
general, spurred in part by the explosive growth of Internet access,"
said Russ Ray, vice president of engineering at LDDS WorldCom. "The
Cascade OC-12c module allows us to tap into this bandwidth easily and
quickly.
"Currently, LDDS WorldCom has a large network of Cascade B-STDX 9000
Frame Relay switches in its network. Those switches, together with the
MFS Communications and UUNet Cascade switches, will result in our having
hundreds of B-STDX switches following completion of the previously
announced WorldCom/MFS merger. The CBX 500 and its OC-12c support allows
us to scale both the Frame Relay and ATM networks and add capacity for
native ATM services," added Ray.
The OC-12c card supports the Cascade Quad-Plane architecture, providing
dedicated buffering for each of the four Quality of Service (QoS)
classes defined by the ATM Forum. The card also supports fully
standards-compliant Automatic Protection Switching (APS), which
guarantees I/O module card and network availability in case of line
failures.
"Cascade recognized and responded to customer requirements for High
Speed Frame Relay during the development of their B-STDX 9000
architecture," said Robert Bentley, manager of data engineering at LDDS
WorldCom. "It is exciting that Cascade continues that trend by scaling
Frame and cell transport on the CBX 500. There are few major areas that
a carrier must focus on when delivering data services in a competitive
environment. Those include the ability to deliver flexible, reliable,
cost-effective services for the customer, the ability to efficiently
trunk a large switch network, and the ability to rapidly provision
end-to-end services across the Frame/ATM transport. Cascade provides
those abilities with the B-STDX/CBX architecture while helping LDDS
WorldCom retain its diverse vendor philosophy, since the CBX will also
carry native ATM services. Those combinations will keep LDDS WorldCom
well-positioned with its ability to offer best-of-class data services."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
About Cascade Communications Corp. Cascade Communications Corp.
(NASDAQ:CSCC) is at the forefront of broadband data communications with
its family of scalable, carrier-class Frame Relay, ATM and Remote Access
switching products. Used by public carriers and Internet service
providers worldwide, Cascade products are forming the foundation of the
public network infrastructure for global communications. Cascade is
headquartered in Westford, Massachusetts, USA, with offices throughout
the Americas, Europe and Asia/Pacific.
About LDDS WorldCom WorldCom, Inc. is one of the largest long distance
telecommunications companies in the United States, offering domestic and
international voice, data and video products and services to business
customers, other carriers and the residential market. The company
operates a nationwide digital fiber-optic network and has worldwide
network capacity. The common shares of WorldCom, Inc. trade on the
NASDAQ Stock Market National Market under the symbol WCOM. |
