Two Ascend Products Awarded 'Hot Product' From Data Communications Magazine; Ascend Routers Also Used in WorldCom's Winning Internet Access Service

Business Wire, Jan 14, 1997

ALAMEDA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 14, 1997--Ascend Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASND) today announced that its GRF 400 IP Switch and MAX TNT WAN access server were winners in Data Communications magazine's sixth annual Hot Products issue, published this month. In addition, the dedicated 128-kbit/s Internet access service from WorldCom, which is built around Ascend routers, received a Hot Products award. Hot Products awards are given to the "best and brightest" new networking technology products that are expected to have the biggest impact on corporate networks. This year Data Communications gave a total of 39 awards; Ascend was the only company to win more than one.

"It's a terrific honor to receive two Data Communications Hot Products awards in one year," said Bernie Schneider, vice president of strategic business development at Ascend. "We know that the magazine conducts a rigorous search for the best products introduced during the past year, and the competition is tough. Winning these awards highlights Ascend's dedication to developing high-quality products that give our customers a competitive edge."

The GRF 400 won a Hot Products award because it is "up to the demands of today's IP networks," Data Communications said. The magazine noted that Ascend "has dispensed with the traditional bus design and instead built the GRF 400 around a switching core....The result is a box that can route 2.8 million packets per second.... nearly six times faster" than competing products. The magazine also noted that the GRF 400 features complete routing tables on every port and hardware-assisted route lookup.

Data Communications singled out Ascend's MAX TNT for a Hot Products award because it is the first remote access server with built-in security. "Now net managers who deploy remote access servers don't have to worry about whether they've opened their LANs to interlopers," the magazine said. Any or all of the MAX TNT's ports can be secured with an internal firewall that uses the latest inspection techniques to determine what incoming data is to be accepted, rejected, authenticated, or encrypted.

WorldCom won a Hot Products award for its dedicated 128-kbit/s Internet access service, which uses DSL (digital subscriber line) technology to offer Internet access that costs 10 percent to 15 percent less than ISDN access. The WorldCom DSL network employs Ascend routers that accept ISDN signaling for the DSL service, allowing customers to use ISDN terminal adapters rather than ADSL (asymmetric digital subscriber line) modems, which are significantly more expensive.

About Ascend Communications

Ascend Communications, Inc., is a leading, worldwide provider of remote networking solutions for corporate central sites, Internet Service Provider's points of presence, remote offices, mobile workers and telecommuters. Ascend develops, manufactures, markets, sells and supports products which utilize bandwidth on demand to extend existing corporate networks for applications such as remote LAN access, Internet Access, telecommuting, SOHO connectivity and videoconferencing/multimedia access. Detailed information on Ascend products, news announcements, seminars, service and support is available on Ascend's Home page at the World Wide Web site http:www.ascend.com .

Ascend is headquartered at One Ascend Plaza, 1701 Harbor Bay Parkway, Alameda, California 94502. Phone: 800/ASCEND4; Fax: 510/747-2300; E-mail: info@ascend.com .

CONTACT: Gallagher PR

Shannon Malliet, 510/747-2254

smalliet@ascend.com