Cisco Delivers New High-Density 3660 Multiservice Platform to Extend VoIP Offerings - Digital T1/E1 Packet Voice Trunk Network Module and the T1/E1 Multiflex Voice/WAN Interface Card also rolled out - Product Announcement

Cambridge Telcom Report, August 9, 1999

Cisco Systems, Inc. has announced availability of the Cisco 3660 Multiservice Platform, which extends the successful Cisco 2600 and 3600 Series multiservice solutions to branch and regional offices requiring greater performance, higher density, and higher availability for voice, video and data integration.

Also announced Monday are the Digital T1/E1 Packet Voice Trunk Network Module and the T1/E1 Multiflex Voice/WAN Interface Card (Multiflex VWIC), which enable flexible and scalable packetized voice solutions. Both products provide packet voice gateway interfaces for PBXs (Private Branch Exchanges) and the PSTN (Public Switch Telephone Network), facilitating migration of voice traffic to data networks in an evolutionary fashion. In combination, these products provide industry-leading, high density, high-availability voice-over-data solutions at the branch office.

The new products enable enterprises and service providers to continue their migration from data to multiservice networks, in order to benefit from cost-effective voice and video over IP. Over 350,000 Cisco 2600 and Cisco 3600 multiservice-capable routers have been shipped to date, and the new Digital T1/E1 Packet Voice Trunk Network Module and the T1/E1 Multiflex Voice/WAN Interface Card provide this installed base a strong incentive and easy migration path to multiservice networking.

"The Cisco 3660 is an ideal fit for our customers' needs," said Joe Wenker, principal engineer, USWest !nterprise. "Its tremendous configuration flexibility -- provided by a variety of interface options -- as well as its high performance, make the Cisco 3660 a top choice as a customer premises platform. The compact 12 inch footprint is also a plus."

Cisco's new 3660 Multiservice Platform extends the proven Cisco 3600 series, providing higher density, greater performance, and more expansion capability to enable multiservice integration. These characteristics make it ideal for applications combining data, video, analog voice and digital voice.

Cisco protects customer investment in modules and interface cards by sharing them across the 1600, 1700, 2600, and 3600 series routers. The Cisco 3660 was designed to accommodate field serviceability and high availability, with hot swappable network modules and an integrated optional redundant power supply.

To help customers transition and scale to multiservice networks, the Digital T1/E1 Packet Voice Trunk Network Module for the 2600 and 3600 Series provides a higher-density digital voice solution that enables new applications and reduces recurring phone charges. When used in combination with the Cisco 3660, the Digital T1/E1 Packet Voice Trunk Network Module allows 288 simultaneous voice trunks.

Customers can deploy this module while continuing to utilize installed telephony equipment through connections to PBXs or the PSTN. In addition, the versatile Multiflex VWIC combines WAN Interface Card (WIC) and Voice Interface Card (VIC) functionality to provide investment protection to customers who choose to integrate voice and data in evolutionary steps.

These new products are also cost- and resource-effective for service providers looking to deploy and manage an integrated multiservice solution for branch offices. Cisco's multiservice platforms, such as the Cisco 2600 and 3600 often deployed today, protect service providers' investments in technology, education and training by providing a scalable solution that grows with their customers' requirements.

The new Digital T1/E1 Packet Voice Trunk Network Module and VWIC enable service providers to offer new integrated voice services such as VoIP or multiplexed voice-data. In addition, the products provide a migration path from multiplexed voice to packetized voice without changing equipment. The new Cisco 3660 enables service providers to offer these same services with higher availability and performance at the branch office.

"AT&T Managed Network Services allows customers to optimally run their businesses with the latest networking and communications technologies and services," said Steve Andrews, product manager of AT&T's managed network services. "Our customers recognize that running voice traffic over a data network delivers services needed to stay competitive in the ever-changing global economy.

"Cisco helps us fulfill these customer requirements by delivering flexible and scalable packetized voice products, such as the Digital T1/E1 Packet Voice Trunk Module for the Cisco 3600 Multiservice Platform, that interoperate with our customers' installed telephony equipment."

Price and Availability The Cisco products announced Monday will be orderable and shipping in August 1999. The entry-level price for the new Digital T1/E1 Packet Voice Trunk Network Module for the Cisco 2600 and 3600 Series is $7,400; price-per-voice port starts at $311, depending upon configuration. Entry-level pricing for the new 3660 Multiservice Platform is $10,700. Pricing for the T1/E1 Multiflex Voice/WAN Interface Cards for the Cisco 2600/3600 series starts at $1,300. FMI: http://www.cisco.com.