LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 13, 1999--
Ascend Delivers Greater Scalability for Service Providers Offering
Advanced Voice Solutions
Ascend Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq:ASND), a leader in wide area networking
(WAN) and Intelligent Network (IN) solutions for providers and users of the
next-generation public network, today announced MultiVoice(TM) for the MAX
TNT(TM), giving service providers greater scalability and flexibility in
offering Voice over IP (VoIP) services that leverage Ascend's proven
carrier-class MAX TNT WAN Access Switch. By offering MultiVoice on the MAX TNT,
Ascend is elevating its MultiVoice solution into the carrier-class arena and
giving service providers a more robust and higher density solution for providing
standards-based toll quality Voice and Fax over IP.
MultiVoice for the MAX TNT delivers a VoIP solution for service providers
building and extending next-generation networks. Now, service providers can
leverage MultiVoice capabilities on the WAN access switch that best suits their
needs -- from a 16-port to a 672-port solution across the MAX product line. This
scalable architecture supports any size VoIP network, from small locations to
large points of presence (PoPs) requiring the MAX TNT.
"Ascend is providing its customers with flexible, scalable solutions to roll
out new advanced services like Voice over IP," said Greg Naderi, IT Market
Analyst with Frost & Sullivan. "Service providers rely on the MultiVoice
capabilities of the MAX/MAX TNT platforms to deliver the capacity, speed and
quality they need. With a pioneering advantage in carrier-class concentrators
and multiservice switches, no other company delivers a solution for Voice over
IP that is as robust and scalable."
Beyond this scalability benefit, MultiVoice on the MAX TNT delivers
toll-quality voice that supports end-to-end Quality of Service (QoS) across a
core Frame Relay or asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) backbone. With a new
MultiDSP 48-port DSP slot card and enhanced True Access(TM) Operating System
(TAOS) features, MultiVoice for the MAX TNT also offers simultaneous voice and
fax over IP on a single DSP card, greater billing options, enhanced support for
multinational VoIP networks, gateway-based voice prompting and additional
network transparency features for easier integration of H.323 VoIP networks.
"We pride ourselves on our incredibly robust network that delivers highly
reliable Voice over IP services to businesses at very attractive rates," said
Steve Braaschi, vice president of marketing, PointOne Telecommunications. "The
QoS capabilities enabled by the Ascend MultiVoice solution are enabling PointOne
to deliver telco-grade quality services, we've been able to distinguish our
offerings and set the standard for service delivery in this emerging area."
MultiVoice is Ascend's strategy to integrate voice, data and fax over IP,
Frame Relay, and ATM switched backbone networks. The multiple phases of Ascend's
MultiVoice strategy provide a roadmap for bringing next-generation solutions to
market, offering a more feature rich, cost effective and higher density
carrier-class VoIP platform to a wider customer audience.
"By adding MultiVoice to the MAX TNT, Ascend is now delivering a toll-quality
Voice over IP solution to service providers of all sizes, from the smallest
rural PoP to the largest urban central office," said Roger Boyce, vice president
and general manager of Ascend's Enterprise Networking Division. "By integrating
MultiVoice into our core backbone components, Ascend has created adaptable
solutions with end-to-end QoS that meet our customers' needs for today and
tomorrow."
Ascend Elevates MultiVoice into Carrier Class Arena
MultiVoice for the MAX TNT transparently integrates VoIP and Fax over IP
(FoIP) across backbone packet networks and supports end-to-end QoS through its
enhanced TAOS software. This enhanced TAOS software offers a number of key
advantages to service providers who need to manage and deploy services, such as
VoIP and FoIP, for a competitive edge.
-- Enhanced Billing Options: integrates third party billing to support debit
and credit card payments. This integration is accomplished via an open software
programming interface or API that is supported by Ascend's third party billing
providers such as Mind CTI and RODOPI.
-- Real-time FoIP: delivers enhanced fax services based on ITU T.38 standards
for fax services over an H.323 network. Standard PSTN G.3 fax modem calls are
terminated or originated in the Ascend Gateway and then transmitted as standard
IP data packets across the backbone network.
-- Standards Compliance: supports voice and fax standards, including enhanced
interoperability through the ITU-T H.323 V2.0 standard, public switched
telephone network (PSTN) Signaling System & (SS7) transparency through support
for the IPDC VO.12 media gateway signaling protocol, and seamless integration
with existing customer databases through RADIUS user authentication support.
-- Transparent VoIP Operations: mirrors important calling features of the
PSTN, including the tones necessary to access voicemail and end-to-end caller ID
delivery. Enhancing customer support, new functions also feature global network
call progress tone support (dial tone, alerting tone, busy and fast busy
signals) for more than 21 countries and automatic PSTN re-route if a VoIP
network failure occurs.
-- Advanced Gatekeeper Functions: supports multiple, logical VoIP networks
from the same physical Gatekeeper and enables peer-to-peer communications
between Gatekeepers, allowing for a scaleable network configuration.
MultiVoice Poises for DSL Integration
"As we optimize the multiservice capabilities of the MAX TNT, it's a natural
extension to look at using the MultiVoice capabilities over other services
enabled by the TNT," said Ashok Dhawan, general manager of Ascend's High Speed
access Products. "DSL integration with VoIP creates multi-tiered service options
in which the end user accesses end-to-end voice through a single copper pair.
Service providers will have more options than ever as we extend and enhance
MultiVoice across the MAX TNT platform."
The MAX TNT and the DSL TNT support voice over digital subscriber line (DSL)
to allow the service provider to offer an end-to-end solution for voice and data
on a packet network. Ascend's solution for voice over DSL consists of 64Kbps PCM
voice on DSL over the copper local loop, and it is packetized by MultiVoice at
the MAX TNT or DSL TNT for transmission over a packet backbone. Voice over DSL
enhances the capabilities of the multiservice MAX TNT platform.
MultiVoice -- A Flexible, Standards-Based Initiative with
Value-Added Services
The MultiVoice Alliance Program ensures that MultiVoice for the MAX TNT
customers are equipped with "best-in-class" solutions that include application
functionality beyond the Ascend VoIP Gateway and Access Manager platforms. The
VoIP alliance includes mainstream third party applications that are
interoperable with the MAX TNT and provide both PSTN-type features and
next-generation telecommunications applications. (See separate announcements
issued today from Mind CTI, POP-Star Global Communications and VocalData.)
Currently, billing and fax applications solutions are available through vendors
such and Mind CTI, RODOPI and AllBill for post and pre-paid billing and OpenPort
and Netcentric for store and forward fax solutions. Applications in development
range from Internet call waiting to unified messaging applications.
About the Market Leading MAX Platform
As the market leader in carrier-class remote access products installed, the
MAX TNT was recently awarded the Editor's Choice award by Network Computing. The
MAX TNT is a multi-protocol WAN access switch that enables service providers to
build high-density networks. This scalable, carrier-class switch manages up to
720 concurrent remote access calls to a central site or MegaPOP(TM) over a
dynamic mix of access lines including analog, ISDN, T1/E1, DS3 and T3 Frame
Relay. Another member of the Max platform, the high performance MAX remote
access concentrator, enables value-added solutions such as VPNs and Port
Wholesaling that allow service providers and enterprise customers to maximize
their businesses.
Availability and Pricing
MultiVoice for the MAX TNT is available immediately. Pricing includes a
48-port MultiDSP Card -- US List $575 per port, the MultiVoice TNT VoIP Software
-- US list $5,000 per TNT chassis, and the MultiVoice TNT Fax over IP Software
-- US list $5,000 per TNT chassis. Customers outside the U.S. should contact
their local Ascend representative or reseller for pricing and availability
information.
About Ascend Communications
Ascend Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq:ASND) develops, manufactures, sells and
services wide area networking solutions for telecommunications carriers,
Internet service providers and corporate customers worldwide.
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. For Investor
Relations, please call our communications hotline at 800/648-3059 or
760/704-4423 (outside the U.S. & Canada). Additional investor information can
also be accessed on our Web site at: 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.
In January 1999, the Company entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the
"Merger Agreement") with Lucent Technologies Inc. ("Lucent"), pursuant to which,
each outstanding share of Ascend common stock will be exchanged for 0.825 shares
of Lucent common stock and each outstanding option or warrant to purchase Ascend
common stock will be converted into an option or warrant to purchase Lucent
common stock (adjusted for the exchange ratio) |
