Frame relay on the fast track

WorldCom Inc. will use Verilink Corp.'s Access System 2000 integrated access devices and deploy Verilink's DS-3 application modules across its frame relay network to provide a more cost-effective 20 Mb/s network solution for its customers.

The selection of the modules and the AS2000 line of integrated access devices comes in response to the demand for frame relay services by customers of the nation's fourth largest long-distance carrier, the two companies said.

"It's amazing to see how fast frame relay is ramping up, thanks to the increase in Internet traffic," said Bryan Long, vice president of marketing for the San Jose-based Verilink. "Customers are calling for higher access rates, and this is one way for WorldCom to facilitate those rates.

While the AS2000 family is intended to serve as a flexible solution to simultaneously manage a number of different broadband protocols (Telephony, Sept. 9, 1996, page 16), WorldCom is using the system as a specific solution, in part to test its capabilities in a real-world situation.

WorldCom cited the solution's economy of space as one of the important considerations for its decision. Since the company collocates much of its equipment in other carrier locations, the ability to use this space effectively constitutes a major savings.

The system lets carriers deploy 12 high-speed access lines in a unit only 8.75 inches tall, saving facility space in Internet points of presence and central offices.

Don't miss a thing. Check out our Web site May 5-9 for up-to-the-minute news from the Networld+Interop show in Las Vegas. www.internettelephony.com/content/html/beat.html