To: Moonray who wrote (52853 ) 8/26/1998 6:29:00 PM From: hitesh puri Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 61433
Ascend Communications Continues to Lead the Remote Access Concentrator Market Leading Industry Research Firms Confirm Ascend's Number One Position in the Remote Access Concentrator Market ALAMEDA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 26, 1998--Ascend Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASND - news) today announced research results for the first half of 1998 from Cahners In-Stat, Dell'Oro Group, and Dataquest that rank Ascend's MAX(TM) family of WAN Access Switches in the number one market share position in Remote Access Concentrator (RAC) revenue and port shipments. The reports reflect Ascend's long-standing leadership in providing best-in-class multiservice remote access switching technology for the next-generation public network. According to the Cahners In-Stat report, which will be published at the end of August, Ascend's MAX family of WAN access switches accounted for 30.1 percent end user revenue market share and 30.3 percent manufacturer revenue market share in the first half of 1998, topping second and third place 3Com and Cisco, respectively. In-Stat figures also illustrate Ascend's continued leadership in port shipments for the first six months of 1998, with 30.3 percent market share. ''These figures demonstrate Ascend's leadership in supplying the growing service provider market with next-generation remote access solutions,'' said Jeremy Duke, director of the Networking Group at Cahners In-Stat Group. ''Ascend's market leadership confirms its ability to provide multi-service networking solutions for the increasingly demanding remote access environment.'' According to a report issued recently by Dell'Oro Group, Ascend has continued to maintain the leadership position for first half of 1998 in the total remote access concentration and service provider markets, with 29.7 percent and 36.6 percent, manufacturer market share respectively. The Dell'Oro report also confirms Ascend's top position in asynchronous port shipments with 31.4 percent market share. In Dataquest's most recent market share analysis of access concentrator factory revenue for the first half of 1998, Ascend leads with 28.75 percent, followed by Cisco in second place and 3Com in third. ''Each of these reports confirms that Ascend is delivering the best in multi-service access solutions for its customers worldwide,'' said Curt Sanford, executive vice president and general manager of Access Switching Division. ''Our solutions include advanced voice, fax, data, VPN, DSL, and network management technologies delivered on a single access infrastructure utilizing the MAX family of WAN Access Switches.'' About the Remote Access Concentrator Market and Analysis The methodologies for market share calculation and analysis vary by analyst firm. As the Remote Access Concentrator market continues to evolve, analyst firms are faced with increasing complexity in accurately sizing, reporting, and analyzing this market. Products applicable to the RAC market include high-density access devices used to provide remote access connectivity for service provider network infrastructures and enterprise remote access solutions. Many analyst firms are beginning to distinguish between service provider and enterprise applications. Some analyst firms are also still including mid-range router products, such as the Cisco 3600, in their analysis of the RAC market. These mid-range routers are not representative of the class of products appropriate for this market. Leading analyst firms are beginning to make this important distinction. Exactly what I have been saying all along. Cisco's technology is good but not better than Ascend however their Marketing FUD engine sure takes the cake. John Chambers and his cronies are starting to sound like desperate Snake Oil salesmen by promoting such incorrect reports. Which is sad as I respect and own CSCO but such tactics worry me in the sense that they dont believe the truth will maintain their growth and stock price. -hitesh