!NTERPRISE NETWORKING SERVICES FROM U S WEST DEPLOYS ASCEND MAX FOR DIALED ACCESS TO FRAME RELAY SERVICES; !NTERPRISE Service Based on MAX 4004 and MAX TNT Products Available Today in Denver, Phoenix, Minneapolis and Seattle.

ALAMEDA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 3, 1997--Ascend Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASND) and !NTERPRISE Networking Services, the data integration arm of US WEST (NYSE: USW), today announced that !NTERPRISE has selected the Ascend MAX TNT to deliver dialed access to !NTERPRISE's extensive frame relay network, the third largest in the nation.

!NTERPRISE is the first Regional Bell Operating Company (RBOC) to offer dialed access to frame relay services. Currently available in Denver, Phoenix, Minneapolis and Seattle, !NTERPRISE plans to expand dial access to frame relay services into six more cities by April of this year. The Ascend MAX platform enables !NTERPRISE to offer secure remote dial-up access, disaster recovery, and managed POPs within their portfolio of data network solutions.

"The MAX product line provides a scalable platform offering flexibility and advanced features that in turn enhance our ability to offer new remote access solutions to !NTERPRISE customers," according to Michael Rouleau, executive director of Solutions Development at !NTERPRISE. "The range of services that may be offered from the MAX -- secure dial access to frame relay, frame relay concentration, switching and xDSL -- make the MAX very attractive as a multi-service access platform. The MAX 4004 is a proven and mature product, while the Ascend MAX TNT is clearly designed for large scale carrier networks, establishing a new standard in price performance and density."

"We are delighted to extend our partnership with !NTERPRISE Networking Services from U S West, one of the leading RBOCs providing data network services," said Sam Mathan, Vice President of Carrier Sales and Marketing at Ascend. "After being selected last year by NTERPRISE as the platform for !NTERACT's Internet dial access services, then more recently for !NTERPRISE's IDSL service, this announcement demonstrates that we're meeting the demand for a carrier-class solution. The MAX TNT is the first system that provides the ability to support 2,000 concurrent modem users or 4,000 ISDN or 56/64 Kbps Frame Relay connections in a single eight-foot rack."

!NTERPRISE Networking Services from U S WEST was created in 1992 to address the burgeoning advanced data networking needs of its customers. Since its creation, !NTERPRISE has deployed advanced data network services in more than 180 metropolitan areas nationally. NTERPRISE has previously announced its intention to be in 300 cities nationally by the end of 1997. The !NTERPRISE family of high-speed data communications services includes Frame Relay Service, Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) Service, Transparent LAN Service (TLS), Private Line LAN Interconnect, Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN), !NTERVISTA video/multimedia services portfolio, the newly released DSL services portfolio, and !NTERACT, the Internet-based portfolio of networking services designed to facilitate business Intranets via services such as: Internet access, Web hosting, collaborative computing, and electronic commerce. NTERPRISE can be found at U S WEST's home page at http://www.uswest.com/atwork/interprise .

About Ascend Communications

Ascend Communications, Inc. is a leading, worldwide provider of remote networking solutions for corporate central sites, Carriers and Internet Service Providers' 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, Carrier services and 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: [phone]; E-mail: [e-mail].

CONTACT: Gallagher PR

Shannon Malliet, 510/747-2254

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or

!NTERPRISE Networking Services

Jeremy Story, 303/896-0934

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