ADC Kentrox announces ATM inverse multiplexing; ATM concentrator compatible with Cisco Stratacom BPX and ATM Forum

Business Wire, July 22, 1996

PORTLAND, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 22, 1996--ADC Kentrox (NASDAQ: ADCT) today announced inverse multiplexing capability over ATM in their AAC-3(tm) ATM Access Concentrator.

The modular AAC-3 is the first concentrator to support Inverse Multiplexing over ATM (IMA), including support for the Cisco Stratacom interim specification announced earlier this year and a free software upgrade to the ATM Forum's IMA recommendation, when available.

"IMA provides more than just an economical alternative to T3/E3 for those requiring ATM bandwidth greater than T1/E1. In North America, T3 facilities are not generally available outside major metropolitan areas, and user access to E3 facilities in the rest of the world is very scarce indeed," said John Coons, director and principal analyst at Dataquest. "By employing widely available T1/E1 lines, IMA extends ATM into areas not yet served by broadband facilities."

Aggregated Bandwidth. Inverse Multiplexing for ATM allows integration of multiple T1/E1 lines into sub-T3/E3 lines. IMA access is an economical alternative for customers whose applications or bandwidth require ATM access greater than a single T1/E1, but cannot cost justify a full T3/E3. The new IMA functionality in the AAC-3 is available in either T1 or E1 modules, providing inverse multiplexing of up to four T1 or E1 ATM lines for higher aggregate bandwidth.

"The last mile between the wide area network and the end user is often the most expensive part of a service offering," commented Dan Murray, broadband program manager at ADC Kentrox. "Inverse multiplexing of multiple T1/E1 ATM lines fills an important gap, delivering practical high-speed ATM performance, without the need for T3/E3 last mile access."

Carriers, including Internet Service Providers (ISPs), long- distance carriers and competitive access providers (CAPs), who lease last mile access, can now offer users affordable sub-T3/E3 ATM services. IMA is also important for international markets, where there are large price gaps between T1/E1 and T3/E3 services.

The AAC-3 IMA capability features automatic link adjustment and route diversity. Automatic link adjustment allows IMA networks to continue operation, even during loss of a T1/E1 facility. By monitoring the facility status, the AAC-3 can automatically add/remove T1/E1 ATM IMA links based on facility conditions. Route diversity enables various IMA links to utilize alternative routes or networks, which combined with automatic link adjustment, significantly increasing network resilience.

The new IMA modules are compatible with today's T1/E1 ATM services, able to produce inverse multiplexed bandwidth over the carriers' current ATM network, or connect directly to future carrier IMA services.

To protect customers' investment and ensure industry- standard compliance, the AAC-3 IMA supports the Cisco Stratacom interim specification, and includes a free software upgrade to ATM Forum IMA, when complete. AAC-3 customers can easily upgrade from NxT1/E1 ATM (IMA) to T3/E3 ATM, just by changing physical interface modules, thus protecting protocol and system investment, and minimizing their ATM access equipment costs.

Powerful ATM Concentration. The modular AAC-3 ATM Access Concentrator provides economical integration of multiservice protocols over ATM private and public networks. For maximum bandwidth utilization, the AAC-3 combines dynamic ATM cell concentration and advanced bandwidth management capabilities. The concentrator supports ATM interfaces: T1/E1, T3/E3, OC-3/STM1 UNI and non-ATM interfaces: Frame Relay, SMDS and Circuit Emulation/CBR. The AAC-3 features in-band SNMP management, intelligent congestion control, full traffic management, and direct connectivity of local traffic.

Price and Availability. Pricing for the AAC-3 ATM Access Concentrator IMA modules start at $1500 per port, with commercial shipments in October, 1996.

For additional information on the AAC-3 ATM Access Concentrator or other ADC Kentrox broadband products, please contact Customer Service at 503/643-1681 or the Web site at www.kentrox.com.

ADC Kentrox is the leading supplier of network access and ATM WAN Access Concentration equipment for global voice/video/data networking. The company holds a preeminent market position in T1 DSU/CSUs and CSUs and is a pioneer in SMDS and ATM connectivity products.

Based in Portland, ADC Kentrox is a subsidiary of ADC Telecommunications Inc. of Minneapolis. ADC Telecommunications (NASDAQ: ADCT) is a leading supplier of transmission and networking systems to both public and private networks, with $586.2 million in FY95 revenues.

CONTACT: ADC Kentrox

Lynn Epstein, 503/526-6153

lynn(AT)kentrox.com