Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Technology Stocks : Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: George L. Smith who wrote (15352)	7/26/1998 4:12:00 PM
From: jach	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 77400

much more competitions - will be hard to maintain the margin and the price going forward- in LAN GBit (Startups, BAY, 3COM), and also in WAN (Asnd) 550 and 500, comments from this article: "Because of its cost and service benefits, other carriers have endorsed the integrated ATM architecture pioneered by Williams" 06/10/98 Williams Network earns top award at SuperComm global conference; multiservice backbone architecture hailed for technology leadership TULSA-- Williams Network, the first carrier to introduce a fully integrated, multiservice backbone architecture to support all of its wholesale services, received the top award in the category of backbone bandwidth at the annual SuperComm trade show and conference in Atlanta Tuesday. Presented by the Telecommunications Industry Association and the United States Telephone Association, SuperComm is one of the world's largest communications conferences and exhibitions. The show's award program, SuperQuest, recognizes leading-edge network technologies and showcases significant software, service and equipment implementations in service provider and enterprise networks. The competition was divided into 10 categories and drew hundreds of entries. The award was presented at a ceremony at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Atlanta Tuesday night. "We are leveraging the full benefit of optical networking, which includes the benefits of the newest fiber with the newest switching technologies," said Joe Turcotte, Williams Network vice president of operations and engineering. "With the advances of the ATM (asynchronous transfer mode) switch fabric in terms of scale and capability, we can see that the ATM switch is converging into the transport layer. This means we will be able to maintain the full function and feature set that customers demand while reducing the cost and complexity of the network." Williams, renewing its leadership in wholesale networking in January, is not hampered by complex legacy network technology. Leading edge GX550 "Smart" Core ATM and CBX500 ATM switches from Ascend Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASND) are being implemented to simplify the network architecture and interface directly with the optical fiber at OC-48 levels. All services are managed by Ascend's Navis network management system, a single, integrated system, simplifying provisioning and ensuring customer responsiveness and operational efficiency. Williams uses a single team to provision multiple services from an integrated management system. A "point-and-click" interface is used to establish the optimal route for a connection automatically. Because the ATM infrastructure allocates bandwidth dynamically, the network eliminates unused capacity that cannot be accessed. An ATM infrastructure also means that in the event of a fiber cut, network traffic can be intelligently rerouted on alternate paths in a matter of seconds. "The customer benefits because he pays only for the capacity he needs and does not have to commit to a large monthly fee for circuits that go unused. At the same time, the quality of service remains high," Turcotte said. Williams' new public network positions the company as the first true wholesale supplier of high bandwidth services for the carrier marketplace. Service-provider customers can use the Williams network as a physical and logical extension of their existing networks, seamlessly extending their reach into new geographic areas. Focusing on multiservice capability, the new network is capable of supporting IP (Internet protocol) traffic, the most rapidly growing segment of the data market. The ATM architecture provides a scalable and manageable means of interconnecting IP routers with the ability to segment traffic based on Quality of Service. Because of its cost and service benefits, other carriers have endorsed the integrated ATM architecture pioneered by Williams. Williams reentered the wholesale telecommunications market on Jan. 6, and is rapidly expanding its national fiber-optic network with plans for a $2.7 billion investment resulting in a 32,000-mile system to be completed by year-end 2001. About Williams (NYSE:WMB) Williams, through its subsidiaries, is the nation's largest-volume transporter of natural gas and provides a full range of traditional and leading-edge energy and communications services. In addition to its national wholesale multimedia network, its communications enterprises include nationwide single-source business communications systems integration; international video satellite and fiber-optic transmission; multipoint video- and audio-conferencing; satellite business applications; enhanced fax services; interactive technical training, on-demand distance learning and Internet and telemarketing services. (All trademarks are the property of their respective owners) Contact Information: Gil Broyles 918/573-4740 gil.broyles@wilcom.com Multimedia Design by Williams, Technology Solutions Web Consulting and Development c 1998, Williams or see twc.com