Flexent, this is the platform that Lucent is using Interphase's 6535 for is some of the service
applications. i also think that there is a place for other controllers as well.
Lucent, Sun Ally to Create the Infrastructure to Support the Net
Economy
MURRAY HILL, N.J./PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 1, 1999--Capitalizing on their
expertise in communications networking and network computing, industry leaders Lucent Technologies
(NYSE:LU - news) and Sun Microsystems, Inc. (NASDAQ:SUNW - news) today said they have allied
to create infrastructure needed to support next-generation Internet business applications.
In a related announcement, the companies described four new electronic business offers for
enterprises, ISPs, applications service providers and other carriers that will speed delivery of
next-generation electronic business services. The collaboration includes a Lucent commitment to use
up to $500 million of Sun's carrier-grade next-generation Netra™ servers over seven years as the
platform for Lucent's new Flexent™ wireless network architecture; delivery of new versions of Lucent's
breakthrough softswitch technology and 7R/E feature servers on a range of Sun servers; and joint
investigation of high-speed optical interconnects for Sun's servers utilizing Lucent's new OptiStar™
technology.
``These are the first steps in a joint effort to create the communications environment that will support
not just E-Commerce and information services, but new electronic business models evolving in the
industry,'' said Rich McGinn, Lucent's CEO. ``This collaboration between the `comm' and `.com' leaders
will help us equip our customers with interactive platforms for supporting next-generation electronic
business.''
Scott McNealy, Sun's chairman and CEO, said, ``Sun and Lucent are known for building the most
reliable, most scalable communications networking and computing infrastructures in the world. This
collaboration is a direct response to our service provider and enterprise customers, who want access to
Internet-based services that will work across all wireless, wireline and optical infrastructures--for access
anytime, anywhere, on any device.''
Wireless Network Infrastructure
As a first step towards implementation, the companies said, Sun's extensive line of carrier-grade
servers and its Solaris™ Operating Environment will be the basis for evolving Lucent's wireless network
equipment from the traditional circuit-switched architecture common in telephone networks to a packet
network architecture based on the Internet Protocol (IP).
For example, Sun servers will be used to provision services for and manage Lucent's Flexent™, GSM
(Global System for Mobile Communications), and UMTS wireless networks, enabling mobile operators
to introduce new services faster and more cost-effectively using IP standards. As part of this effort, Sun
and Lucent are collaborating to define Sun's next-generation Netra server platform, as well as
high-availability features for the platform. The resulting compact PCI-based Netra systems will enable
network operators to use standard IP applications for rapid and cost-effective introduction of new
services such as broadband IP, multimedia and mobile IP. This commitment is valued at more than
$500 million over seven years.
Programmable Network Infrastructure
Lucent will also make new versions of its programmable softswitch product available on a range of Sun
servers. The Lucent Technologies Softswitch is a network control platform and applications
development environment that combines the quality and reliability of traditional voice networks with the
flexibility and programmability of IP networks. Today, the Lucent Technologies Softswitch and the Excel
programmable platform are available on Sun's servers, and are being used by large service provider
customers, such as Level 3 and Global Crossing. Future versions of the softswitch, scaled for the ISP
and enterprise markets, will also be made available on Sun's server family.
Sun's Netra servers also are being used as the foundations for Lucent's 7R/E packet solutions, which
use open standards so that service providers can utilize third parties to develop new features as
profitable opportunities arise.
Sun is a founding member and co-sponsor of Lucent's Full Circle program, which is creating a strong
third party ISV/ASP community equipped to deliver applications based on Lucent's programmable
network infrastructure.
Advanced Optical Networking Technologies
Both Sun and Lucent are committed to extending the Optical Area Network™ infrastructure from core
networks to the enterprise in order to dramatically improve the speed and quality of electronic business
applications.
As part of their collaboration, the companies will explore use of Lucent's breakthrough OptiStar™
technology to extend optical communications to Sun's Enterprise™ and Netra servers. Optical-enabled
servers will dramatically increase the amount of IP data that the servers can handle and accelerate the
flow of information from Sun server farms to end users.
``This is the first step in developing next generation E-Commerce enabled networks,'' said McGinn.
``We're focusing on the technologies that will define those networks --wireless, optical networking and
programmable switching.' |
