This is from Siemens with a lot of NN between the lines:
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2nd Century Selects Siemens for Voice Over ATM Network Solution
Business Wire - November 18, 1998 08:14
BOCA RATON, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 18, 1998--
Siemens To Provide MainStreetXpress 36190 Core Switches For Nationwide ATM Backbone
2nd Century Communications Inc. has selected asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) core service switches from Siemens Information and Communication Networks Inc. to build a backbone network that will deliver broadband-based multimedia services throughout the United States. Siemens will also assist in integrating other technological elements of 2nd Century's network.
2nd Century Communications, a second-generation competitive local exchange carrier (CLEC) and the first true integrated communications provider (ICP), will feature the Siemens/Newbridge MainStreetXpress(tm) 36190 Core Services ATM Switch as its network base. 2nd Century will deliver integrated voice, data, video and other applications primarily to small and medium business customers using a single pipe, a single protocol and a single switching fabric. An initial product offering of local and long distance voice and Internet access is planned for launch during the second quarter of 1999.
Financial details of the agreement were not released, but Siemens announced that 2nd Century had signed a purchase contract for 20 of the terabit-class 36190 core switches over the next two years. 2nd Century will purchase an additional 20 switches by 2002.
MainStreetXpress solutions are used by more than 280 service providers throughout the world. The 2nd Century contract signals a significant positioning of Voice over ATM in the U.S. telecom market and an important market entry for Siemens and its 36190 core switch.
Following extensive research, 2nd Century determined that a new approach to providing service to small and medium businesses would be needed to compete effectively against incumbent carriers. Consequently, the company developed its concept of Data-Based Telephony (DBT), which enables the transport of voice services over an ATM infrastructure.
"The 2nd Century-Siemens contract demonstrates two important points. First, ATM services are a proven and important component of 21st-century service provider networks -- a component that can earn revenue for carriers and provide valuable business services to users. Second, Siemens and the 36190 core switch are forces to be reckoned with in the market for next-generation service provider infrastructure," said Tom Nolle, president of CIMI Corporation, a technology assessment and consulting firm in Vorhees, N.J.
"We evaluated Siemens' global leadership in voice switching technology, their well-known reputation for service and support, and the industry-leading position of the MainStreetXpress solutions in ATM broadband networks. Siemens' 36190 core switch is a true gateway, and their ability to offer seamless SS7 interconnection with the public switched telephone network (PSTN) was the driving force behind our decision to work with them. Siemens' equipment and services allow 2nd Century to be the first true integrated communications provider (ICP)," said Mike Viren, president and CEO for 2nd Century.
"This is a significant example of a new class of networks based on the convergence of voice and data technology," said Fred Fromm, president and CEO for Siemens Information and Communication Networks. "In addition to its many features, the 36190 core switch complements 2nd Century's applications because it offers narrowband/broadband interworking and integrated SS7 capability. It's the platform of choice for Voice over ATM and the multimedia marketplace."
The 36190 core switch is a unique ATM switch with a voice architecture, in that it was designed to perform with the reliability of a class 5 voice switch (i.e., less than one minute of downtime per year). It features a modular architecture that provides a future-proof solution that will protect 2nd Century's investment and ensure delivery of the ever-increasing demand for high-bandwidth multimedia solutions. The switch offers throughput of up to one Terabit per second (1,000 Gbit/s) and more than one thousand line cards, allowing service providers to offer their customers full-service broadband applications. Its service applications include: ATM cell relay, ATM service categories (ABR, UBR, CBR, rt-VBR, nrt-VBR), circuit emulations, N(asterisk)64 kbit/s CBR, N(asterisk)64 kbit/s trunk switching and broadband supplementary services.
2nd Century will use the MainStreetXpress 46020 Network Manager to monitor and manage its ATM network and to activate services. The network manager also can provide network partitioning, a critical feature that enables the provisioning of virtual private network (VPN) services. The 46020 Network Manager can support and manage more than 250,000 service connections simultaneously. Due to its scalability, up to 20,000 operators can monitor the network at the same time.
2nd Century Communications Inc. is the first true integrated communications provider (ICP) to offer integrated voice, data, video and Internet services using a single pipe, a single protocol and a single switching fabric with ATM as the transport layer. 2nd Century provides multiple services to small and medium businesses using Data-Based Telephony (DBT). These solutions are delivered directly to the desktop providing customers with the advanced services they need to run their businesses.
The Information and Communication Networks Group of Siemens AG and Newbridge Networks, two world leaders in ATM, formed a strategic alliance in 1996 to provide carriers worldwide with the most comprehensive and advanced ATM solution set. Within this agreement, the two companies have unified their ATM product lines under the MainStreetXpress brand and assembled the industry's most extensive ATM research and development operation, consisting of more than 2,000 engineers in five countries.
Siemens Information and Communication Networks Inc., headquartered in Boca Raton, Fla., is a leading provider of information and telecommunications solutions to public network service providers and enterprise customers in North America. The company is a subsidiary of Siemens AG, a global business with $64 billion in sales in the fiscal year ended September 1997. Home page: www.icn.siemens.com.
Siemens is a registered trademark of Siemens AG.
Newbridge is a registered trademark of Newbridge Networks Corporation. MainStreetXpress is a trademark used by the Siemens/Newbridge alliance for comprehensive solutions in broadband communications. No agency relationship, or joint ownership of a legal entity is to be inferred or implied by the term alliance.
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