NEWS.COM article on ASND roll-outs
Ascend debuts voice, fax support
By Ben Heskett
Staff Writer, CNET NEWS.COM
March 30, 1998, 12:20 p.m. PT
URL: news.com
Ascend Communications (ASND) is the latest networking equipment provider to offer ambitious
plans for adding voice and fax capabilities to data-driven networks.
The company formally launched a strategy to incorporate voice and fax service in IP (Internet
Protocol)-based layouts based on its remote access and wide area switching equipment, as first
reported by CNET's NEWS.COM last month.
Ascend has a large installed base of hardware in a variety of service providers, considered one of
the fastest growing, if unpredictable, markets within the networking industry. The company hopes
to use that strength to sell hardware and software that supports voice-over-IP (VOIP) and
fax-over-IP.
Others, including stalwarts like Cisco Systems and Bay Networks, have also articulated intentions
of tackling the emerging VOIP market.
The company said the initial phase of the strategy, marked by the rollout of initial products, will be
followed by two more elements that encompass ATM (asynchronous transfer mode)-based voice
and fax schemes and interoperability of IP-based services across IP, ATM, and Frame
Relay-based layouts, as well as integration with SS7 systems which are used by
telecommunications carriers.
As part of the rollout, Ascend announced a number of enhancements, including:
A new version of its remote access concentrator hardware, called the MAX 6000, that
provides up to four T1 or E1 lines worth of modem or ISDN access. The new box offers a
threefold increase in data transmission speeds, according to the company. All existing modem
cards will work in the new addition to the MAX line, which is shipping now, with prices starting at
$11,040.
A new application called the MultiVoice Gateway and accompanying management software to
facilitate VOIP communications, which will ship next month. The new package can support
concentrator densities of up to 96 ports per chassis, with plans to offer a total of 672 ports of
support in the future. Pricing starts at $677 per port.
New capabilities for its IP Navigator software that allows an administrator to implement
quality-of-service over IP-based layouts. The new functions build on the software's previous
ability to add routing capabilities in wide area switching devices. The feature will be part of the
next release of IP Navigator, due by the middle of this year.
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