Climbing the charts: Ascend touts New Public Network strategy

Ascend Communications was not always a name that rolled off carriers' tongues, but that may be about to change. This week, the company will launch its New Public Network strategy to satisfy carriers' end-to-end data network infrastructure needs.

The strategy centers around a new core asynchronous transfer mode switch-the GX 550 Smart Core switch-and the extension of frame relay and Internet protocol (IP) modules to the company's existing CBX 500 edge ATM switch. Both endeavors, which will be demonstrated at this week's Networld+Interop show in Atlanta, were made possible by Ascend's acquisition of Westford, Mass.-based Cascade Corp. last year.

The GX 550, which was being developed at Cascade before the merger was announced, is a particularly flexible and scalable switch targeted to fit into an increasingly complex and dynamic public network. "Before, carriers had to make a choice between big and dumb or small and smart," said Jeff Kiel, senior manager of ATM product marketing at Ascend. "They need the capacity of the core switch but with the service capabilities and cost of an edge switch."

The new switch is designed to give carriers advanced service support directly from their core platforms. It offers flexible quality of service (QOS) to support service level agreements and a connection-agile, buffer-resizing feature for applications that do not recognize ATM traffic policing.

Among other features is a direct fiber connect capability that eliminates the need for some Sonet interface equipment, such as add/drop multiplexers.

"Carriers can avoid deploying and maintaining a bunch of Sonet equipment and focus on services," said Kiel.

Additionally, the GX 550 delivers OC-48/STM-16 trunking and offers a high range of port density starting at 25 Gb/s and scaling up to 100 Gb/s (see figure).

Regarding the new modules for the CBX 500, adding IP and frame relay makes the switch a true multiservice unit, and it addresses carriers' Internet trafficking needs with QOS, something many similar products have lacked, said Kiel.

Both the GX 550 and new CBX 500 features will be available in early 1998. In addition to these switches, the New Public Network strategy is completed by Ascend GRF routers and other equipment and is tied together under Ascend's Navis network management platform.

"If we are going to satisfy the full range of carrier needs, we need to have everything integrated under a single network management platform," said Heidi Brandte, senior product marketing manager at Ascend.

Telephony has named Vince Vittore New Media Editor, covering new media technologies, news and business issues.

Vittore has eight years of journalism experience in the telecommunications industry, including his most recent position as telephony editor for Cable World magazine and before that, various editorial positions at America's Network.

At Telephony, he will focus on covering specialized infrastructure and software used for connectivity and content delivery, including Internet, video and multimedia services.

"We already have one of the brightest reporting teams covering the telecommunications industry today," said Publisher Mark Hickey. "Vince's insight and knowledge of technology and the industry will add exceptional strength and experience to our editorial effort."

News Editor Sandra Guy added, "We are excited to welcome Vince, his talent and his enthusiasm to the news team. He will heighten Telephony's presence in this critically important part of the industry."

Vittore is a 1989 graduate of Indiana University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in journalism and political science. He will work in Telephony's Chicago office and can be reached at (312) 840-8439.