Cable & Wireless Communications Provides Business Customers With Virtual Private Networks Based on Ascend Communications Remote Access Solutions
Business Wire - September 08, 1998 08:26
%ASCEND ASND %CALIFORNIA %COMPUTERS %ELECTRONICS %COMED %TELECOMMUNICATIONS %INTERACTIVE %MULTIMEDIA %INTERNET V%BW P%BW
ALAMEDA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 8, 1998--Ascend Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASND) a leader in wide area networking (WAN) solutions for providers and users of the Public Network, today announced that Cable & Wireless Communications can now offer its business customers SecureDial, a dial-up Virtual Private Network (VPN) service based on remote access solutions from Ascend.
Combining Ascend's award winning Max 4000 and MAX TNT access concentrators and VPN security protocols, Cable & Wireless Communications will be able to offer its customers high-speed global communication links with the highest security, scalability and flexibility.
Remote local area network (LAN) access allows teleworkers, mobile workers and employees whether in the UK or travelling abroad to access information and applications stored on the corporate LAN to perform tasks such as e-mail, Intranet, Lotus Notes and database updates. This often results in high communications costs as it is very expensive to dial directly into the corporate network. SecureDial allows remote users to dial into a local Point of Presence (POP) and then, using a secure, direct private connection over the Cable & Wireless infrastructure, gain access to the corporate LAN. This provides a more cost-effective, reliable and secure connection to the customer than previously available.
The Ascend solution offers both ISDN and PSTN dial-up access to the Cable & Wireless managed network providing data throughput from 1.2 kbps to 56 kbps for modem users and 64kbps or 128kbps (using the Multilink PPP protocol) for ISDN users. SecureDial also supports the major LAN protocols TCP/IP, IPX. The highest level of security is maintained using Ascend's industry leading VPN tunneling protocol Ascend Tunnel Management Protocol (ATMP).
By using this protocol, customer traffic is kept completely separate from all other traffic on the network. Jim Coupe, Dial Data Services Manager, Cable & Wireless Communications, said, "Cable & Wireless developed the SecureDial service in response to customer needs. "We evaluated a number of vendors and chose Ascend as we were looking for a robust, secure and scalable solution, so we could offer our customers the best possible service. Ascend's strong client base and excellent global support were also decisive factors."
Phil Holcroft, UK Country Manager, Ascend Communications said, "Security and reliability were of paramount importance for this service. As an industry leader in providing VPN services to carriers, Internet Service providers and corporate customers, Ascend was able to offer Cable & Wireless the guarantees they needed to provide a high quality service to their customers."
The initial roll out of the SecureDial service in Europe includes Austria, Belgium, Spain, France, Holland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. It has since been expanded to include Hong Kong and Japan. It is planned to extend the service further to cover Asia Pacific, South and North America, South Africa, Scandinavia and Eastern Europe.
About Cable & Wireless Communications
Cable & Wireless Communications plc was created by the merger of Bell Cablemedia, Mercury Communications, NYNEX CableComms and Videotron. The company provides local, national and international voice and data telecommunications together with multichannel television and Internet services. In addition, it is strategically positioned to offer new products such as interactive digital services and multimedia products as they become available.
Cable & Wireless Communications is the UK operating arm of Cable and Wireless plc. Cable & Wireless plc is one of the world's leading providers of international telecommunications services, whose businesses provide 17 million customers in over 70 countries with a complete range of international, domestic and mobile communications. Cable & Wireless plc is the world's third largest carrier of international traffic, provides mobile communications in 30 countries and operates the world's largest and most advanced cableship fleet.
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 Eric Warren, Ascend Communications, 510/747-6683 or eric.warren@ascend.com. Investors and financial analysts, please contact Kristina Graziano, 510/747-2345 or 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, Calif. 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, Alameda
Eric Warren, 510/747-6683
eric.warren@ascend.com
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