Siemens Enables Voice and High-Speed Internet Data Services Over Traditional Twisted Copper Pair Wire - Siemens Information, Communication Networks, ITS Telecommunications Systems - Company Business and Marketing

Cambridge Telcom Report, August 16, 1999

Siemens Information and Communication Networks, Inc. announced Wednesday that it has begun a field trial of its EWSD-integrated DSL (digital subscriber line) high-speed Internet services with ITS Telecommunications Systems, a Florida-based service provider located in Indiantown near West Palm Beach.

By adding the EWSD UDSL line card and a packet hub to an existing EWSD switch, ITS Telecommunications Systems will offer high-speed Internet access for Indiantown public schools, local banks, the library and a senior citizen's club.

"The Indiantown community will benefit from Internet access that's 30-times faster than any modem on the market today," said Eve Aretakis, president, Carrier Networks, Siemens Information and Communication Networks, Inc.

"Because this is a switch-integrated solution, service providers like ITS Telecommunications Systems can rapidly deploy high-speed data services across their entire installed base, while saving on deployment costs. With a switch-integrated solution, network operators can capitalize on the investment in their existing infrastructure to offer carrier-class, high-speed data applications. This means they don't have to replace the twisted pair copper wire that runs into just about every home in the U.S., and they can offer simultaneous voice and data service over the same line card. As part of our product portfolio's next-generation network services, our UDSL card is an excellent way for service providers to differentiate their service offering while creating a new revenue stream."

Available in the first quarter 2000, the EWSD UDSL line card uses asymmetrical digital subscriber line (ADSL) technology, as defined by ITU G.922.2, to provide simultaneous voice and high-speed data at speeds up to 1.5-megabits per second. By simply plugging the EWSD UDSL line card into existing Digital Line Unit (DLU) frames, services providers turn the DLU into a converged voice/data access device that can deliver voice and high-speed data services over the traditional copper pair. The switch-integrated solution gives service providers a chance to offer high-speed data access to the residential mass market, telecommuters and small offices/home offices (SOHO).

Recently named the most reliable switching system available today in an independent study, the EWSD system now has more than 180 million ports installed in over 100 countries, making it the world's leading switching system. A feature-rich system, designed with the flexibility and scalability necessary to grow with end-user demand, the EWSD switch offers a single platform for local and long distance service, as well as voice and data network communications.

Based in Boca Raton, Fla., Siemens Information and Communication Networks, Inc. provides integrated voice, data and video communications networks to carrier and enterprise customers. Last year the company's 7,000 U.S. employees generated sales of nearly $2 billion. Its parent firm is Siemens, the pioneering electronics giant with more than 400,000 employees worldwide and global sales of over $66 billion. For more information, visit the company's web site at www.icn.siemens.com.