Telco Systems Announces HDTV-Ready, Cost-Optimized 10Gig Ethernet Aggregation Switch

MPLS World Congress -- Telco Systems announced today that it has expanded its IP product family to include a 10 Gigabit Ethernet switch designed to aggregate traffic from the customer premise onto a carrier's IP network. As the newest member of the Company's successful T5C product line, the T5C-XG has been designed with OAM (operations, administration, and maintenance) capabilities to ease the management of triple play services across the access network.

"As enterprise customers demand better service level agreements (SLA), service providers need to find ways to increase service availability and ensure service quality. Ethernet OAM features provide service providers the means to address those challenges and provide carrier-grade services over the Ethernet infrastructure," said Avi Cohen, Vice President, Business Development & Marketing. The T5C-XG supports service assurance using industry-standard OAM tools including IEEE 802.1ag Connectivity Fault Management (CFM) and IEEE 802.3ah Ethernet in the First Mile (EFM OAM).

The T5C-XG's high performance, carrier-class Ethernet switching functions for IP video and traffic aggregation enable the service provider to future-proof their network infrastructure as consumer demand for these services increases. The device features enhanced QoS tools that support multiple services for multiple customers while allowing service providers complete control over traffic traversing the access network to meet different SLA levels.

"With the growing demand for triple play services and the resulting network bottlenecks that can significantly impact customer service, we saw a great market opportunity for us to introduce a 10 Gig Ethernet switch to alleviate the traffic issues at the network's edge," continued Cohen.

The new T5C-XG Carrier Ethernet switch provides the following features:

--  Two 10 Gigabit XFP network ports for either protected services or link
    aggregation
--  An expansion slot supporting two additional 10 Gigabit Ethernet
    network ports for ring configurations and scalability
--  24 SFP-based user ports which can support either 100Mbps or Gigabit
    Ethernet
--  Fast forwarding bandwidth (64Gbps)
--  Jumbo frame support
--  32k MAC addresses
--  Front-facing access
--  Redundant AC and DC power supplies and pluggable fan tray
--  1.5RU high and 10' (254mm) in depth and is ETSI compliant

Initially available with Layer 2 capabilities, the device can be upgraded to Layer 3 with no hardware change. This is accomplished with Telco Systems' BiNOS (BATM/Telco Systems Inter-Networking Operating System), a robust operating system that supports the OAM, management, QoS, and security performance requirements demanded by Carrier Ethernet networks.

The T5C-XG has successfully participated in an interoperability test with 15 vendors organized by the European Advanced Networking Test Center (EANTC). The EANTC Mobile Backhaul Interoperability Showcase will be on public display during the MPLS World Congress in Paris this week, the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, February 11-14, and the CTIA Wireless Show in Las Vegas, April 1-3. White papers with detailed findings and an overview of the IP/MPLS interoperability tests are available for download from http://www.eantc.com/mobile_backhaul and http://www.ipmplsforum.org ).

The T5C-XG will be offered for general availability in March.

About Telco Systems

Based in Foxboro, Massachusetts, Telco Systems is a leading provider of carrier-class transport and access solutions for IP and TDM networks for carrier, service provider and enterprise markets. Its suite of products includes solutions for Carrier Ethernet Access rings and demarcation, residential and enterprise VoIP, FTTx, SONET, TDM and T1 backhaul.

Founded in 1972, Telco Systems' focus is to maximize the power of their customers' networks by integrating transport, access and packet technologies onto industry-leading platforms that meet today and tomorrow's network demands.

Telco Systems is a wholly owned subsidiary of BATM Advanced Communications (LSE: BVC). For more information, please visit Telco Systems' web site at http://www.telco.com .

CONTACTS: Raylene Kadrmas Telco Systems 781-255-5314 Email Contact Lisa Rivero PAN Communications 978-474-1900 Email Contact