Ascend Communications Expands Broadband Access Product Portfolio
Business Wire - April 30, 1998 08:15
ALAMEDA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 30,
1998--Ascend Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASND)
today announced an enhanced SA 600 Broadband Access
Concentrator that now provides a high-capacity multi-service
entry point into an Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) wide
area network (WAN).
Also announced today is an enhanced Inverse Multiplexing for
ATM (IMA) Interface Card, for both the SA 600 and SA 100
Broadband Service Unit. This new IMA card complies with the
ATM Forum V1.0 IMA specification, and is available in 4-port
T1 or E1 configurations. The card combines multiple T1/E1
interfaces into a single virtual circuit, bridging the gap between
T1/E1 and T3/E3, and giving service providers the broadest
possible selection of network access options to offer their
corporate customers.
The enhanced SA 600 joins the SA 100 as part of an expanding
family of Ascend broadband access products that enable
service providers to leverage the inherent capabilities of ATM
while extending their reach to corporate customers.
"The phrase 'carrier-class' means much more than
compliance with telco regulations," said Fred McClimans, CEO
of competitive intelligence firm Current Analysis, Inc. "Ascend
has realized this in providing the necessary features to offer
carrier-class services, through increased bandwidth flexibility
and upgradability to address the gap between T1 and T3
service offerings."
"Service providers now have the flexibility to add real value to
their carrier-class ATM networks with innovative, managed
service offerings that generate additional revenue," said Jim
Mooney, Senior Product Marketing Manager in Ascend's Core
Systems Division. "Service providers can enter a new service
area by deploying SA 100s, and then place a SA 600 to provide
high-density concentration when the subscriber area gets
saturated. The SA 600, with its high-speed network
connections, leverages the initial capital investment of a service
provider while having minimal impact on operations overhead."
The SA 600 provides a high-density, cost-effective platform
for adapting legacy protocols into an ATM data format for
high-speed, efficient transport. Regional ATM traffic is
economically concentrated for transport to a core ATM
network, reducing trunk requirements. Further, service
providers can create a broad portfolio of new, value-added
services and deliver these services at price points that will
differentiate them from the competition. Equipped with this
capability, service providers can proceed with broad
deployment of ATM services.
The SA 600 provides a single carrier-class platform for both
locally connecting and remotely concentrating a wide spectrum
of high-performance, "plug and play" services. These include
Native LAN, Circuit Emulation, Serial Frame, and ATM UNI.
ATM WAN connections range from T1/E1 and T3/E3 to
OC3/STM1, and the latest release of Ascend's Inverse
Multiplexing for ATM (IMA) may be incorporated into the
product to provide even greater flexibility.
Service providers can use their existing Navis network and
service management products to manage the SA 600 and SA
100, enabling service provisioning end-to-end from a single
network management platform with a familiar interface.
Pricing and Availability
The enhanced capabilities in the SA 600 are available now. SA
600 pricing begins at $18,000. The IMA Interface Cards are
also available now, and pricing begins at $4,000.
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 Julie Asher,
Alexander Communications, 415/923-1660,
jasher@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, CA 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.
CONTACT: Ascend Communications
Stacy L. Ellis, 510/747-6783
stacy.ellis@ascend.com
or
Alexander Communications
Julie Asher, 404/897-2300
jasher@alexandercom.com |
