U.S. ROBOTICS ENTERS FRAME RELAY MARKET WITH NETSERVER FRAME RELAY CARD FOR THE TOTAL CONTROL ENTERPRISE NETWORK HUB; Company's Fully Integrated Frame Relay Access Solution Opens New Markets; Offers Extensive Capabilities Including U.S. Robotics' ACP

Business Wire, March 22, 1995

SKOKIE, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 22, 1995--Expanding its offerings in the multiport dial-up access market, the Corporate/Systems Division of U.S. Robotics Access Corp., a subsidiary of U.S. Robotics Corporation (NASDAQ: USRX), today announced Frame Relay support for its Total Control NETServer Card. Available in the third calendar quarter, the product allows service providers and telcos to provide dial-up points of presence for corporate network and Internet access services, using Frame Relay as their backbone network.

The Total Control NETServer Card is a component of the company's Total Control Enterprise Network Hub, installed in many service providers, telcos, online services and transaction processing providers. Frame Relay support may easily be added to 48-port Total Control NETServer Cards in existing Total Control Enterprise Network Hubs, allowing customers to extend the product's use to Frame Relay. Because the NETServer with Frame Relay can connect directly into the Frame Relay network, providers may install a single piece of equipment in each point of presence, rather than dedicated LANs, routers and dial-up equipment.

"Frame Relay is becoming a very popular way to provide dial-up LAN access services to corporate customers," said Todd Landry, U.S. Robotics LAN access product manager. "An integrated solution like the Enterprise Network Hub allows us to provide unprecedented capabilities and flexibility to Frame Relay-based service providers." Frame Relay is a natural evolution for U.S. Robotics, expanding the company's ability to connect its Total Control Enterprise Network Hub to a wider variety of networks. This announcement underscores U.S. Robotics' commitment to providing a variety of access technologies for customers.

U.S. Robotics will conduct an extended beta program prior to the product's shipment, and is currently in discussions with several companies about extensive Frame Relay field testing. The testing will include compatibility trials with products from Frame Relay switch vendors, ensuring compatibility with prominent products.

Adaptive Call Processing (ACP) Feature Set

U.S. Robotics will support a variety of advanced capabilities in its Frame Relay product, primarily targeted toward companies who sell Frame Relay network access services.

Adaptive Call Processing (ACP) is a feature set developed by U.S. Robotics to give service providers a wide range of flexibility in how they offer remote access services to their customers. ACP includes flexible call routing, filtering and security capabilities, IP address assignment from a global pool and the ability to access call information for usage-based billing.

ACP is made possible by U.S. Robotics' integrated approach. The key is U.S. Robotics' integrated T-1 interface, which supplies ANI (Automatic Number Identification) and DNI (Dialed Number Identification) call routing information to the Total Control NETServer Card, communicating through the Enterprise Network Hub's packet bus. This information, combined with U.S. Robotics' powerful RADIUS protocol-based security capabilities, allows inbound calls to be filtered and routed to the appropriate location dynamically.

One benefit of ACP is that providers may use it to supply an individual 800 number for each corporation who purchases Frame Relay network access service, or use a single 800 number for all customers and assign unique IP addresses for each corporation on a call-by-call basis. Additionally, because IP addresses are assigned dynamically, system-wide, providers can ensure that no duplicate IP addresses are entering the network. ACP's security, accounting and call routing feature set gives providers a variety of additional benefits, including:

-- security and user profile data at both the point of network access and the customer site

-- packet, protocol and application-level filtering at both the point of network access and the customer site

-- the ability to extract call accounting data for usage- based customer billing

-- distribution of calls over multiple host computers

-- the ability to set up custom decision criteria for call routing based on chassis information, port number, user name, password or ANI/DNI information

The NETServer Card for Frame Relay will allow as many as 100 PVCs (Permanent Virtual Circuits) to be set up on a 48-port Enterprise Network Hub. Calls will automatically be routed over the appropriate circuit, based on static routes or dynamic routing tables.

Hybrid Connectivity/Future Expandability

Although U.S. Robotics has not yet announced an ISDN offering, the company will provide ISDN connectivity in the future, allowing hybrid ISDN/analog dial-in to Frame Relay networks through the Total Control Enterprise Network Hub. This allows providers to offer a wider variety of services using the same basic equipment; the Enterprise Network Hub was designed with ample bandwidth for a smooth transition to future technologies such as ISDN.

"Because we expect the bulk of dial access to be accomplished through analog connectivity for some time, a hybrid solution is the most practical," added Landry. "Many providers we work with report that about 95 percent of their current access needs are analog-based; however, they want the equipment they purchase now to have a migration path to ISDN."