Pat,since NN is providing ATM gears for AT&T (customers side)this annouuncment may have connection to NN:
AT&T Wins Three-Year, $80 Million Contract to
Provide Voice, Video and Data Network for 3Com Corporation
3Com is First AT&T Customer to Transmit Voice, Video and Data to Singapore via ATM
BASKING RIDGE, N.J., Dec. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- AT&T (NYSE: T - news) has been awarded a three-year contract
worth $80 million to carry mission critical voice, video and data services over a converged network for 3Com Corporation
(Nasdaq: COMS - news). 3Com's next-generation network will be built on AT&T's global asynchronous transfer mode
(ATM) backbone network.
The contract calls for AT&T to convert 3Com's backbone network to ATM from point-to-point service to realize increased
bandwidth and to allow for the convergence of voice, data and video transport on a single network.
Within the United States, AT&T will provide its OneNet Inbound and Outbound service, frame relay and ATM services.
ATM will connect 10 3Com campuses and locations in the United States, United Kingdom and Asia. ATM also will
converge voice, data and video traffic between Santa Clara, CA, Boston and Chicago, with future plans to extend the
converged traffic to other 3Com locations worldwide. 3Com will use AT&T's frame relay to ATM interworking service for
various applications.
Internationally, AT&T will utilize existing services such as private line, frame relay and ATM. AT&T's international ATM
service will connect 3Com's major international locations to its hub offices in the United States. 3Com will be AT&T's first
customer to use ATM service to transmit voice, video and data to Singapore.
''We are setting a new standard for efficiency and overall flexibility by converging the majority of our voice, video and data
traffic on one seamless network,'' said Thomas L. Thomas, Senior Vice President, Global Information Systems and Chief
Information Officer for 3Com. ''We will benefit from increased cost savings and the ability to provide numerous video
applications to our sites around the globe.''
With the converged voice, video and data network, 3Com expects to realize a multimillion cost savings over the term of the
three-year contract and dramatically improve both customer satisfaction and employee productivity.
Converged network applications now in use at 3Com include the call center with dynamic routing for customer service and
support, company-wide CEO Forums conducted by 3Com Chairman and CEO Eric Benhamou and seven-digit dialing
across the ATM network.
''Our agreement with 3Com underscores AT&T's leadership role and our ability to provide state-of-the-art convergent,
high-bandwidth networks adaptable to the current and emerging application needs of the corporation,'' said Joe
Lueckenhoff, product and marketing vice president of data networking for AT&T. ''3Com is now positioned to provide its
customers with more robust and streamlined voice services in addition to the highest quality frame relay and ATM services
available in the industry.''
Business customers interested in more information about AT&T's converged voice, video and data networks can contact
their AT&T account teams.
About 3Com
With more than 200 million customers worldwide, 3Com Corporation connects more people to information in more ways
than any other networking company. 3Com delivers innovative information access products and network system solutions to
large, medium and small enterprises; carriers and network service providers; PC OEMs (Original Equipment
Manufacturers); and consumers. 3Com -- More connected.™
For further information, visit 3Com's World Wide Web site at www.3com.com or the press site at
www.3com.com/pressbox.
About AT&T
AT&T ( att.com ) is a leading provider of data services, offering private line, frame relay, ISDN, ATM and IP
services to more than 160 countries worldwide. AT&T serves more than 80 million customers, including consumers,
businesses and government. The company has annual revenues of more than $52 billion and 110,000 employees. It runs the
world's largest, most sophisticated communications network and is the leading provider of long-distance, data transport and
wireless services.
3Com is a registered trademark of 3Com Corporation. |
