Lucent Technologies Introduces Revolutionary IP Switch
And Breakthrough Portfolio of IP Products for Service
Provider Networks
MCI Is First To Evaluate Lucent's PacketStar IP Switch
MURRAY HILL, N.J., May 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Lucent Technologies today introduced the
industry's most reliable and advanced portfolio of Internet Protocol (IP)-based data network
products for service providers, revolutionizing the way data, voice and video are handled in
public networks. In addition, the portfolio makes possible the delivery of new premium data
services while slashing provisioning and maintenance costs by up to 40 percent.
''There is a network revolution at hand and we intend to lead it,'' said Rich McGinn, chairman
and CEO, Lucent Technologies. ''The issue for our customers is how to offer the same quality
of service in the data world as we do in the voice world -- service that is rich in features and
reliability and that can generate new revenues. Lucent understands better than anyone how the
data and voice worlds must work together and we are developing the next-generation
architectures to lead this revolution.''
''We are meeting this challenge by offering an integrated suite of products that revolutionize
the way new networks handle data while gracefully evolving existing voice networks to the IP
world,'' said Bill O'Shea, president, Lucent Technologies Data Networking Systems. ''And as
service providers expect from Lucent, we will deliver unparalleled reliability, the most
advanced Bell Labs technology and ease of management and operations with unmatched
professional services and support.''
The IP portfolio is led by:
-- The Lucent Technologies PacketStar(TM) IP Switch -- a next generation
intelligent Layer 3/Layer 4 wide area network routing switch which
works with today's installed base of traditional routers -- yet goes
far beyond their performance by managing data in a way that
accommodates different levels of customer needs from casual Internet
users to businesses with critical data applications. For the first
time, service providers will be able to guarantee and price multiple
tiers of quality from low cost to premium service.
''The PacketStar IP Switch is truly a revolutionary switch,'' O'Shea said. ''For the first time,
one system combines the superior bandwidth and speed to help break through Internet data
bottlenecks with intelligent traffic management capabilities to guarantee multiple tiers of
service.''
''These capabilities are critical to delivering large-scale telephony and fax services over IP
networks, data and video over IP and virtual private networks. For the next-generation
applications that customers demand, the carrier-class PacketStar IP Switch is essential,'' said
Carly Fiorina, president of Lucent's Global Service Provider Business.
MCI To Evaluate
The PacketStar IP Switch will be tested and evaluated by MCI in June as part of a plan to
upgrade their Internet backbone.
''MCI carries hundreds of terabytes of traffic per week,'' said Vinton Cerf, MCI's senior vice
president, Internet Architecture and Engineering, and one of the founders of the Internet. ''We
think Lucent has shown us a novel design that is an improvement over existing routing switch
technology. We look forward to working with this new product to determine its applicability
to our Internet services.''
The PacketStar IP Switch, which interoperates with Lucent's complete access products
portfolio, delivers the industry's highest capacity -- up to 32 million packets per second of
system throughput at full wire speed -- while offering 128 gigabits per second (Gbps) of total
backplane capacity with a natural evolution in scale to Terabit aggregate switching rates.
Using innovative architectures and algorithms for traffic queueing and scheduling, service
providers can maximize new revenues by allocating network resources to deliver service levels
scaleable to millions of users.
Developed by Bell Labs in 12 months and powered by several patent-pending technology
advances, the PacketStar IP Switch enables network operators for the first time to create
''virtual leased lines'' down to departmental desk tops -- guaranteeing bandwidth and explicit
levels of service. This is critical in the delivery of advanced applications like voice-over-IP
telephony and Virtual Private Networks (VPNs).
The PacketStar IP Switch supports both IP over SONET/SDH and IP over ATM applications
and is expected to be generally available in the third quarter of this year.
Revolutionary New Class of Product
-- The Lucent Technologies PathStar(TM) Access Server is a revolutionary
new class of product designed specifically to enable network operators
to offer low-cost, reliable local and long-distance voice and data
services over IP networks including the Internet. Priced at half the
cost of the multiple products needed to perform the same functions
today, the PathStar Access Server acts as a central office switch-
router for the IP world.
The PathStar Access Server, at about $300 per line and half the cost in a typical configuration,
is expected to be going into customer trial later this year. It is expected to be generally
available in the first quarter of 1999.
''What makes this product revolutionary is that it is an integrated routing IP platform that
services most types of traffic -- from POTS and ISDN to xDSL -- and delivers on the features
customers demand, from billing to directory services,'' O'Shea said.
The PathStar Access Server offers the industry's most complete set of integrated telephony
features that subscribers demand, including billing, call waiting, call forwarding, operator
assistance and a standard interface to directory services systems.
It is the only IP-based access server that offers direct access to the existing standard copper
wire-based local loop -- eliminating today's two-step dialing.
The PathStar Access Server is an effective solution for carriers expanding into new areas, for
competitive entrants building networks based on IP architectures, for service providers starved
for new data services capacity or for Internet Service Providers offering standards-based
Internet Telephony services.
It also provides full access to the existing circuit switched public voice network. Subscribers
may reach any telephone anywhere around the corner or around the world, whether it is a
packet phone, a standard telephone, a PC with phone capabilities, on the public network, a
corporate intranet or the global Internet.
''The PathStar Access Server is built from ultra-reliable access technology used with the
5ESS(R)-2000 AnyMedia Switch,'' O'Shea said. ''At the same time, PathStar's routing
capability delivers highly scaleable, high-capacity access to the Internet, allowing the
integration of voice and data into a single, low-cost access server at the edge of the network.''
Bridging the Voice and Data Worlds
The Lucent Technologies PacketStar Gateway Solution bridges the voice and data worlds,
efficiently moving voice traffic and voice related services over networks that were designed
for data. This solution consists of a voice gateway, which turns voice signals into packets for
IP or ATM networks; a signaling gateway, which provides signaling and routing information
needed to carry those packets through the network; and a feature server which serves as a
platform for the development of advanced network services.
The PacketStar Gateway Solution will allow new and existing network operators to provide an
array of local, tandem and toll voice network services and emerging data network services on
IP and ATM networks. And to simplify network management, the solution allows traditional
service providers to consolidate their existing circuit-based tandem and toll networks into one
broadband packet network.
''Lucent is bringing its hundred plus years of experience in networking signaling and routing
to the data world,'' O'Shea said. ''This reliable solution will reduce provisioning and
maintenance costs by up to 40 percent over a typical voice network. It's a graceful evolution
for a service provider with an embedded network and a great way for a new entrant to assure
a network with the best quality.''
The solution will deliver density that is up to 30 times what competitive solutions can currently
deliver. In a central office where space is at a premium, this huge capacity advantage means
fewer boxes will have to be installed, with greater reliability and greatly reduced complexity.
The PacketStar Gateway solution is expected be available for customer trials in the fourth
quarter and is expected to be available in the first quarter of 1999.
Completing the IP Portfolio
Additionally, Lucent also announced new functionality on its Portmaster(TM) 4 remote IP
access technology. Unveiled in March, the Portmaster 4 offers carrier-class capacity and
service flexibility, providing up to 4,320 dial-up IP connections in a single rack and
supporting any service on any port at any time. Lucent will integrate Portmaster 4 technology
directly into the 5ESS switch, allowing service providers to offer V.90 modem and ISDN
services wholesale to ISPs. This brings IP capability onto the edge 5ESS AnyMedia switch and
allows service providers to offload data from congested inter-office circuits and route traffic
over packet networks. This also reduces costs to Internet Service Providers by eliminating
multiple ISDN trunks. The new solution will be available for customer trials in July, with
general availability expected in the third quarter of this year.
As further proof of the breadth of Lucent's industry-leading IP portfolio for service
providers, Lucent Technologies recently introduced the latest release of its Internet Telephony
Server for Service Providers, now branded as the PacketStar ITS (Internet Telephony Server).
Lucent's PacketStar(TM) ITS-SP 2.0 allows service providers to offer customers high-quality
voice and fax transmission over IP networks using analog phones, faxes and PCs.
The PacketStar ITS-SP 2.0, combined with other components, including the ITS Service
Access Manager and the ITS Administrative Manager, enables service providers to manage and
scale their networks to support multiple gateways and servers across the public network. The
ITS-SAM performs the H.323 gatekeeper function, providing authentication of users
attempting to place calls, administration of gateways across zones and call set-up, and enables
the ITS-SP 2.0 to scale as service providers expand their networks. The ITS-AM provides
web-based network management.
PacketStar ITS is generally available and used by customers in North America and Europe.
Unprecedented Bandwidth Management
And finally, earlier this year Lucent introduced a new type of network element for managing
IP traffic and other bandwidth requirements, the ultra-reliable WaveStar(TM) Bandwidth
Manager.
The WaveStar Bandwidth Manager integrates all access and transport facilities into a single
network node for service providers. Self-healing ring interfaces within the system integrate
traditionally separate network elements such as IP and ATM switches and routers, add/drop
multiplexers, and digital cross connect systems. This consolidation allows service provider
savings of up to 60 percent in equipment costs and up to 85 percent in space requirements.
WaveStar Bandwidth Manager is going into service with two customers, Tyco Submarine
Systems, Ltd., formerly AT&T Submarine Systems, and the CTR Group, Ltd., a global
undersea optical networking company.
And unifying operations support for these breakthough IP products will be a suite of
integrated management software systems for service providers that are a part of the
OneVision(TM) Network Management family of products.
''This comprehensive list of new and enhanced IP solutions for service providers is proof
positive that carriers are demanding a new class of communications networking and we are
responding,'' Fiorina said. ''Whether for revolutionary business opportunities or evolutionary
networks, Lucent solutions deliver reliability, speed, capacity, control and manageability.''
Lucent will be showing these and other service provider solutions in Booth 6639 at
SuperComm, June 9-11. Lucent Technologies designs, builds and delivers a wide range of
public and private networks, communications systems and software, data networking systems,
business telephone systems and microelectronics components. Bell Labs is the research and
development arm for the company. More information about Lucent Technologies,
headquartered in Murray Hill, NJ, is available on its Web site at lucent.com.
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