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SAN JOSE, CALIF. (March 10) BUSINESS WIRE -March 10, 1998-- Company
Delivers Layer 2 Muxing for DSLTNT Central Office Concentrator
and Plug-and-Play DSL CPE Device
Ascend Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASND), today announced support for
Layer 2 multiplexing using Frame Relay over xDSL on the company's
DSLTNT central office concentrator. Layer 2 muxing, based on the RFC
1490 standard, enables carriers to offer end-to-end, transparent
multiprotocol DSL transport for Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) without
having to deal with IP addresses at the central office. To further
simplify provisioning xDSL services, Ascend is shipping a new version
of the DSLPipe customer premise router which is pre-configured for
Layer 2 mux support; this plug-and-play solution means that carriers do
not have to go on-site to install CPEs to support the new service,
making it easier to roll out xDSL services.
Using the new service, remote users and corporate LANs can communicate
with each other using any mix of protocols, from IP to IPX, over their
IDSL, SDSL and RADSL links.
Carriers, who are prohibited from doing Layer 3 routing in the central
office, previously used complicated workarounds that increased their
operational overhead and required them to support such things as IP
addressing. Layer 2 muxing enables carriers to offer end-to-end,
transparent multiprotocol DSL transport. It also makes xDSL services
more versatile for ISPs -- they can create secure, closed user groups,
such as telecommuters, because the end-to-end connection uses Frame
Relay Permanent Virtual Circuits (PVCs) over an xDSL line.
"We want our carrier customers to know they can always count on Ascend
to bring them the most advanced capabilities in xDSL technology," says
Ashok Dhawan, general manager for high speed access products at Ascend.
"We also ensure practical implementation of advanced technology with
such things as the pre-configured DSLPipeline router for the customer
premise."
The DSLTNT is the only integrated multi-service xDSL concentrator for
the telephone company's central office. The DSLTNT enables telephone
companies (RBOCs) and competitive local exchange carriers (CLECs) to
deliver multiple xDSL services, including IDSL, SDSL, RADSL-CAP and
RADSL-DMT, on a single platform at speeds from 128 Kbps to 7.0 Mbps on
a single pair of local loop. The high-density DSLTNT can support up to
1,344 IDSL ports, 1,440 SDSL ports, or 540 RADSL ports in a single
seven-foot telco rack. The DSLTNT is certified NEBS-compliant Level 3,
which means it conforms to the rigorous requirements for central office
operation in global carrier networks.
As part of its commitment to offering an end-to-end xDSL solution,
Ascend has developed a complete family of xDSL customer premise
routers. With today's announcement, Ascend has enhanced its DSLPipe
model with plug-and-play Layer 2 mux support. The DSLPipe performs
intelligent bridging of protocols, and forwards only those frames that
do not belong to the local LAN segment. This intelligent bridging
optimizes bandwidth utilization while performing bridging operations.
Although the DSLPipe is pre-configured for Layer 2 muxing, customers
also have the option of configuring the device for PPP with PAP/CHAP,
MP, MP+, Frame Relay, DHCP, NAT and Secure Access Firewall. Pricing
and Availability
Layer 2 multiplexer support is available immediately through a free
software upgrade on the DSLTNT. About Ascend Communications
Ascend Communications, Inc. develops, manufactures and sells wide area
networking solutions for telecommunications carriers, Internet service
providers and corporate customers worldwide. For more information about
Ascend and its products, please visit the Ascend web site at
www.ascend.com, or e-mail info@ascend.com.
Ascend is headquartered at One Ascend Plaza, 1701 Harbor Bay Parkway,
Alameda, Calif., 94502. Phone (800) ASCEND4; Fax (510) 747-2300.
-0- blm/sf*
CONTACT: Gallagher PR
Kristi An, 510/747-2721
kristi@gpr.com
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