ALAMEDA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 1, 1998--
Provides Next-Generation Multi-Service Solutions for High-Speed Internet Access and Backbone Networks
Ascend Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASND) a leading provider of wide area network (WAN) solutions
for providers and users of the Public Network, today announced its worldwide leadership in providing network
wholesale solutions to Network Service Providers (NSPs). With the explosive growth of new Internet and public
data network services, many service providers are building next-generation networks based on Ascend's leading
network wholesaling solutions for high-speed Internet access and backbone networks.
As the Internet Service Provider (ISP) market continues to consolidate and grow, network service providers
are challenged to keep pace with market demand for more bandwidth and more sophisticated networking
solutions. To meet market demand and deliver next-generation multi-service solutions, network service providers
are evolving into wholesale and retail service providers. Today's service providers are either expanding their
infrastructure and reselling services both wholesale and retail, or (smaller service providers are) simply leasing
services from a wholesale provider and reselling retail services.
"The time, the money, and the technical resources required to build and deliver next-generation public data
network services globally, present real roadblocks for today's service providers. We have eliminated these
roadblocks by providing a significant opportunity to generate new service revenue for us and our service
provider customers reselling private-label solutions," said John Kraft, vice president of Carrier and ISP Services
at PSINet. "By partnering with Ascend and deploying their wholesale port solutions for Internet access and
backbone networking, we have developed a comprehensive set of IP services for our corporate and Wholesale
Network Services customers."
Why Wholesale Network Services?
Purchasing ports from network wholesalers allows ISPs to focus on providing leading edge applications and
services, such as Internet access, Virtual Private Networking (VPNs), and Voice and Fax over IP, which are
enabled by Ascend's market leading core and access products. Ascend's network wholesaling solution offers a
significant opportunity for new service revenue and profit for service providers in an exploding Internet and
public network industry. Wholesale customers that lease ports benefit from a defined cost for network build-out,
increased flexibility, additional advanced service offerings, and the ability to focus more on the customer.
"Ascend has the equipment, security platforms, management capabilities, and professional services necessary
to allow service providers to offer a wide array of wholesale services, from wholesale dialup and dedicated ports
to wholesale value-added services. This allows the wholesaler to improve network efficiency, achieve economies
of scale, and increase revenues. At the same time, this business model enables the wholesale customer to very
quickly extend its network without huge capital investments and concentrate on developing, launching, and
supporting differentiated services," said Liza Henderson, Director at TeleChoice, Inc., a telecommunications
management consulting firm based in Boston, MA.
"Internet demand is exceeding supply and we are in the midst of a major shift in traffic to the public data
network," said Kurt Bauer, vice president of product management for Ascend's Access Switching Division.
"Network service providers are either expanding their network infrastructure or leasing additional services
upstream from a wholesale provider to meet customer demands."
The Internet Service Provider market is evolving from simple dial-up access to a multitude of advanced
networking solutions over a single, next-generation public data network. Ascend's total wholesale network
solution enables service providers to offer dial-up Internet access over analog, ISDN and xDSL, Voice and Fax
over IP, Frame Relay and ATM for Quality of Service, VPNs, and other emerging new public data network
services.
"Most of our larger service provider customers are expanding their data networks to include IP, Frame Relay
and ATM to provide high-speed Internet access and backbone network services," said Matt McGinnis, Internet
marketing manager for Ascend. "Ascend is at the forefront in delivering multi-service networking solutions,
which are increasingly being resold wholesale to other service providers regionally, nationally and internationally."
Ascend's Access Solutions
Recently announced research results (http://www.ascend.com/3284.html) from Cahners In-Stat, Dataquest and
the Dell'Oro Group rank Ascend's MAX(tm) family of WAN access switches number one in Remote Access
Concentrator (RAC) revenue and port shipments.
Ascend's reliable high performance MAX and MAX TNT(tm) WAN access switches enable value-added
solutions, including VPNs and network wholesaling, that enable service providers and enterprise customers to
maximize their businesses. Ascend's MAX products, which are powered by the True Access(tm) Operating
System and managed by NavisAccess, represent the industry's most innovative, flexible and interoperable
solutions for remote networking.
Ascend's Core Backbone Solutions
Recently announced research reports (http://www.ascend.com/3283.html) from Cahners In-Stat and
International Data Corporation (IDC) rank Ascend as the number one worldwide provider of carrier-class Frame
Relay and ATM WAN switches.
Ascend's GX 550 "Smart" Core ATM switch combines the capacity and scalability of a core switch with the
service capabilities of an edge switch, providing backbone transport and user services on a single platform.
Ascend's multi-service CBX 500 ATM switch is a highly scalable, multi-service solution with unprecedented
availability, performance and throughput and guaranteed Quality of Service (QoS) for all traffic types. Ascend's
B-STDX 9000 multi-service Frame Relay switch provides voice, SNA, video, LAN interconnect, Internet and
intranet access services in a single, manageable platform and offers the highest port density in the industry.
About Ascend Communications
Ascend Communications, Inc. develops, manufactures, sells and services wide area networking solutions for
telecommunications carriers, Internet service providers and corporate customers worldwide.
Press and industry analysts, please contact Christine Andrews, Alexander Communications, 415-923-1660,
candrews@alexandercom.com; Investors and financial analysts, please contact Kristina Graziano, 510-747-2345,
kristina.graziano@ascend.com; for all other inquiries please call toll-free: 800/ASCEND4.
For more information about Ascend and its products, please visit the Ascend web site at www.ascend.com,
or send e-mail to info@ascend.com. Ascend is headquartered at One Ascend Plaza, 1701 Harbor Bay Parkway,
Alameda, Calif. 94502; phone is 800/ASCEND4 and fax is 510-814-2300.
The foregoing statements may contain forward-looking statements that are based on current expectations and
involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from these expectations as a result of factors
including, but not limited to, the Company's success in developing, introducing or shipping new products,
competition, the mix of distribution channels employed, the Company's dependence on single or limited source
suppliers for certain components used in its products, risks inherent in international sales, seasonality and general
economic conditions. These and other factors are discussed in Ascend's 10-K, 10-Q and other filings made
periodically with the Securities and Exchange Commission. |
