1999 National ISDN CPE Guidelines Highlight Private Networking Capabilities.

DEERFIELD BEACH, FL--(BUSINESS WIRE)--December 10, 1998--Private networking features are the newest addition to the National Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) Guidelines that are being presented today at the 1999 National ISDN CPE Guidelines Industry Seminar. The annual seminar, being hosted by Bellcore and funded through the National ISDN Council, is being held in Deerfield Beach, Florida, today from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

"These Guidelines are crucial to ensuring seamless interworking between the switch and the customer's equipment. Customers rightly expect that new features will be 100 percent operational when rolled out to the marketplace," said Mike Seldner, General Manager of Bellcore's ISDN Design and Engineering Department. "The newest features are bringing a greater degree of flexibility and functionality to the marketplace. For example, the new private networking capabilities announced today will standardize business capabilities in the PBX-Centrex world."

The private networking capabilities that will be discussed at today's seminar extend Business Group membership to ISDN PRIs and ISDN PRI CPE (for example, Private Branch Exchanges). This allows PRI CPE to have access to the network-provided business features and capabilities such as intercom dialing, private network dialing plans, access to private facilities that belong to the Business Group, delivery and receipt of private names and numbers, and much more.

Each year Bellcore, a leading provider of communications software, engineering, consulting and training services, issues an updated version of the National ISDN CPE Guidelines. The guidelines are mainly used by CPE manufacturers to assist in their implementation of new National ISDN features, but are also invaluable to switch system suppliers, local exchange carriers, and telecommunications consultants who want to gain a deeper understanding of National ISDN from a technical perspective.

In addition to the detailed presentations given by the Guidelines' authors, the National ISDN switch suppliers, Lucent Technologies, Nortel Networks, and Siemens Telecom Networks, are also providing information on their 1999 feature availability.

This event provides an opportunity for CPE industry members to interact with National ISDN technical experts from Bellcore, members of the switching system supplier community, and representatives from the NIC. It also allows industry members to gain advanced information on the contents on the 1999 Guidelines and an opportunity to provide input.

The 1999 CPE Guidelines (SR-4619, 1999 Version of National ISDN Primary Rate Interface Customer Premises Equipment Generic Guidelines and SR-4620, 1999 Version of National ISDN Basic Rate Interface Customer Premises Equipment Generic Guidelines) will be available for purchase in January 1999.

Questions or comments on National ISDN documents can be faxed to ISDN Design and Engineering, A. T. Vitenas, Principal Project Manager, ISDN Platform Evolution, at [phone].

About NIC

The NIC is a forum of telecommunications service providers and manufacturers whose focus is the evolution and deployment of integrated voice and data digital services. NIC member companies include Ameritech, Bell Atlantic, Bellcore, BellSouth, Cincinnati Bell Telephone Company, Lucent Technologies, Nortel Networks and SBC (Southwestern Bell and Pacific Bell).

More information about the NIC is available via the Internet at www.bellcore.com/nic or from Jonna Puryear, Bellcore's NIC Administrator, at [phone].

About Bellcore

Bellcore, a SAIC Company, is a leading provider of communications software, engineering, consulting and training services based on world-class research. Bellcore creates business solutions that make information technology work for telecommunications carriers, businesses and governments worldwide. More information about Bellcore is available via the Internet at www.bellcore.com.