Dell'Oro Group Reports 33% Market Share for Cabletron SmartSwitch Router; Positive Test Lab and Customer Reaction Push the SmartSwitch Router To a Leadership Position

Business Wire, Nov 18, 1998

ROCHESTER, N.H.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 18, 1998--Cabletron Systems (NYSE:CS) today announced that its SmartSwitch Router holds an impressive 33% market share in the chassis-based Layer 3 Switch category, according to a new report issued by the Dell'Oro Group. Cabletron was also a leader in chassis-based Layer 3 Gigabit Ethernet ports shipped with 22.4% market share.

The SmartSwitch Router, in its first full quarter of shipping, was also named the fastest growing product in the chassis-based Layer 3 switch segment, a particularly important segment in the market.

"Unlike fixed configuration Layer-3 switches which are used primarily to replace Layer 2 switches, chassis based Layer-3 switches are being used as routers in backbone implementations," said Glenn Gabriel Ben-Yosef of Clear Thinking Research. "They are more flexible, offer capability for LAN and WAN functionality, have a richer set of features and pose the most direct threat to the installed base of software based routers. Thus, Cabletron's 33% market share is doubly important."

"The SmartSwitch Router's technical leadership has been demonstrated by independent test labs, by bakeoffs in the trade press, and now by our most important constituency--our customers," said Andrew Feldman, Cabletron's senior director for solution marketing. "Our leadership position reflects our commitment to improving performance and functionality while reducing the cost and complexity of network equipment."

Cabletron's SmartSwitch Router family includes the SSR 8600 and 8000, the industry's highest performing and most reliable backbone switch routers. They deliver more than 30 million pps routed throughput and full function wire speed IP and IPX routing and switching. The family also includes the SSR 2000, a wire speed application-aware enterprise desktop switch.

About Cabletron

Cabletron Systems, the premier provider of enterprise-class networking solutions, offers dependable network access and communications to millions of people throughout the world under its Smart Networking architecture. With scaleable products designed for Fortune 1000 enterprise networks, service providers and small businesses, Cabletron provides simple, reliable and cost-effective business solutions for the information age. Cabletron's web site can be reached on the Internet at http://www.cabletron.com.