Hi Frank What do you think about the new Typhoon and Breeze DVG's from Franklin,As always your thoughts and insight ae very much appreciated.
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Franklin Telecom Issues Typhoon
Warning!
Non PC Based DVG to Anchor a New Generation of IP Telephony Products
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 18, 1999-- Franklin Telecom
(AMEX:FCM - news) will announce the development of the Typhoon® Data Voice Gateway (DVG)
today in conjunction with its Shareholder's Meeting in Westlake Village. The Typhoon is high density,
carrier class solution designed to deliver over 1,300 IP telephony ports in a typical Telephone Company
central office equipment rack. The low power, low profile, 2U high (3.5'' high), rack mounted Typhoon
supports upwards of 120 digital telephony ports per chassis. A single chassis consists of a embedded
mother board containing a hierarchy of advanced high speed Micro-processors. The ADI DSP design
represents a significant step forward in the state of the art and is implemented with plug-in modules,
(similar to the computer industry standard memory SIMM strip) for telco interfaces.
The digital telephone line interfaces options support T1, T1-Primary Rate ISDN, E1, E1-PRI, E1-R2
and optionally 24 analog central office or telephone device lines. Franklin partnered with Telenetworks
(now Next Level Communications) in the development of the digital signaling software stacks. Franklin
also selected the PC-104 and Motorola communications processor chip sets to implement this advanced
carrier design. The product is fully software compatible with the existing Breeze, Tempest® Gateway
and AMAS Gatekeeper product lines.
This is a major departure from the industry based PC data voice gateways on the market like
VocalTec, NetSpeak and Clarent. The Typhoon is an integrated proprietary solution designed from the
ground up by Franklin. The Typhoon supports all of the major interface standards, including H.323,
INow! and MGCP. Product reliability and carrier class density are among the reasons for moving
beyond the PC base.
Peter Buswell, Franklin's President and COO, explains, ''The 2U chassis is literally half the height of
the 4U units we currently use. Hence, we are able to more than double the number of ports in a rack.
As our customers require more ports, we can offer them a completely seamless upward path transition.
Of course, this also makes our product line more appealing to customers who start out requiring higher
density solutions.''
John Saltwick, Vice President of Engineering, based at the Company's Scottsdale development facility
is the Program Development Manager for the Typhoon. Discussing one improvement of which he is
particularly proud, Saltwick said, ''We have been successful in redesigning the power supply so that it
has made major gains in efficiency. We can deliver 1,300 ports in a rack now for a fraction of the
power required for earlier PC based Gateways.''
The Linux based Typhoon is 100% compatible with Franklin's Tempest System and the Breeze
products, as well. It integrates existing software, including the tracking and billing AMAS Gatekeeper
with the next generation software currently being developed.
This unit is a carrier class Telco product that has been in development at Franklin for over two years.
In addition to the industry standard digital T-1 and E-1 interfaces, the units can be configured for analog
FXO and FXS applications.
Buswell continued ''This is a major step forward for Franklin in product density. The Typhoon will also
be used as the Line Interface Unit in Our Internet PBX announced in March. The design should enable
us to deliver universal IP port functionality for $350 per port in carrier configurations. The Typhoon is
the result of an investment we began over two years ago and it is coming to market on time and on
budget! The Typhoon is already being ordered by existing customers and is scheduled for Beta release
in the fourth calendar quarter 1999.
Frank Peters, Franklin's Chairman and CEO, said ''This product, together with the 2 port 'Breeze' is
going to redefine the American business communications landscape. We can connect the branch
offices of corporate America directly to these emerging packet networks like Qwest, USATalks and
FNet, enabling seamless call handling, toll free, toll quality interoffice voice and fax communications.
The Typhoon and the Breeze(TM) will work with our standard 4U high Tempest, our new 2U high
Typhoon and is totally compatible with the Franklin AMAS gatekeeper, Billing software and H.323,
INow! and MGCP standards interfaces. Together, these compatible systems mark a breakthrough in
networking, in that Franklin can deliver products for the Consumer market clear through to the
Telephone Company and large Enterprise markets.''
The primary business of Franklin Telecom is the design and manufacturing of communications devices,
including hardware and software solutions which enable superior quality Voice over IP applications.
Franklin's Internet subsidiary FNet provides Voice over Internet Protocol global Telco services.
Certain statements in this press release constitute ''forward-looking statements'' within the meaning of
Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors
which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of the Company to be materially
different from any future results, performance or achievements, expressed or implied by such
forward-looking statements.
For additional information about this Company, visit the Officer's Message page at Franklin's Web Site:
www.ftel.com - for Internet Telephony & Franklin's Next
Generation Telephone Equipment.
www.fnet.net - for Internet Telephony Next Generation Telephone
Service.
www.franklin.net - for Internet Services, E-Commerce and Access.
Contact:
Franklin Telecom
Helen West, 805/373-8688 |
