Bell Atlantic chooses Alcatel 1000 AX ATM Switch for broadband network field trial in Washington, D.C. metro area

Business Wire, Feb 15, 1995

RICHARDSON, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Alcatel Network Systems has supplied an Alcatel 1000 AX ATM (asynchronous transfer mode) switching system to Bell Atlantic for a field trial of ATM-based voice, data and video residential and business services. Bell Atlantic will conduct this field trial out of its Silver Spring, Md. central office.

Bell Atlantic will test both new and existing services -- including video dial tone, interactive video, high speed data transfer and cell routing services. Alcatel will provide technical support in the form of network service management software, operator training, documentation and as a development liaison with ATT and General Instrument.

"We're please to participate with Bell Atlantic in the testing, delivery and use of ATM technology for interactive multimedia and video dial tone services," said David Waechter, Alcatel assistant vice president -- Advanced Systems Product Marketing. "The 1000 AX's integration of ATM routing, multiplexing, switching and video cross connect functions makes two-way interactive sessions practical and economical."

Bell Atlantic becomes the second regional Bell operating company to deploy an Alcatel 1000 AX. Pacific Bell has used the system since July 1994; the system is also in use in Argentina, Chile, France, Great Britain, Ireland, Malaysia and Switzerland.

The Alcatel 1000 AX is a modular, SONET-compliant ATM product family consisting of a host switching fabric that supports a large number of remote, edge and customer-premise hub switches under a single service and element layer management platform. Due to this multiple interface design, the Alcatel 1000 AX integrates voice, data and video service on a single facility. All Alcatel 1000 AX components are intelligent network elements capable of ATM routing, switching and multicasting.

Alcatel Network Systems designs, manufactures and services a full line of voice, data, video and multimedia products, including ATM switching systems, digital cross connects, fiber optic transmission systems, optical amplifiers, microwave radio, video codecs, and network management systems. These products are used in high performance networks throughout the telecommunications, broadcast and utility industries. The parent company, Alcatel, is the largest manufacturer of communications equipment worldwide, with plants in 32 countries and sales in over 125 countries.

CONTACT: Michael Newsom

214/996-7896