Alcatel Fulfills Enterprise Infrastructure Vision with New Core and Edge Switches for Non-stop Business Operation.

Business Editors & High-Tech Writers

CALABASAS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 10, 2002

Alcatel delivers advanced switches as enterprises upgrade

networks for mission critical data and voice applications

Alcatel (NYSE:ALA) today announced two new additions to its OmniSwitch family that again raise the standard in high-availability for enterprises requiring a non-stop multi-service infrastructure for real-time and mission-critical applications. These new switches are the Alcatel OmniSwitch 8000 series for the enterprise core and the Alcatel OmniSwitch 6000 series for the enterprise edge. Together with the OmniSwitch 7000 series, they provide a consistent set of carrier-class features from the core to the edge of the enterprise network.

Alcatel's OmniSwitch 8000 series offers a true non-blocking 10 Gigabit architecture and is Alcatel's premier core switch. It is one of the industry's highest-density, highest-capacity platforms supporting up to 384 ports of Gigabit Ethernet in less than 40 inches of rack space. The OmniSwitch 8000 series has a 512 Gpbs fabric, 240 Mpps of throughput and up to 16 10-Gigabit Ethernet wire rate ports. Its carrier class features and unsurpassed level of wire rate services come at an attractive price point due to an innovative distributed architecture.

Smart continuous switching, launched in June with the OmniSwitch 7000 series and now available with the OmniSwitch 8000 and 6000 series, distributes intelligent functions throughout network interface modules, rather than through a central engine, so there is no interruption of services or performance during the loss of a critical network element. This unique carrier-class feature is a necessity as enterprises deploy voice and video over IP and other real-time or mission-critical applications because network downtime can impact profitability, upset business partners, and create security issues.

Alcatel has also developed unique features that protect the network core against human errors that compromise availability and security. With automatic service recovery, Alcatel's OmniSwitch family can actually detect switch misconfiguration and automatically restore the network to its previous state. Partitioned management allows administrators to set management rights with extreme granularity so that only authorized personnel can access specific enterprise resources, adding another layer of protection from human error. These features complement a host of embedded security features mandated by Alcatel's security framework CrystalSec.

Alcatel's OmniSwitch 6000 series' disruptive architecture ushers in an entirely new concept of virtual chassis switch and brings an unprecedented level of carrier-class features currently available on the market today. It is the ideal solution for mission critical networks that require non-stop network operation.

Alcatel's virtual chassis design allows OmniSwitch 6000s to behave as an advanced chassis, eliminating all single points of failure at the network edge. Unlike other solutions, each switch in a stack is a potential management module and there is an automatic election of primary, secondary and idle switch in the stack. This process is recursive so that, as long as there is a switch in the stack, manageability and service are preserved. Up to eight OmniSwitch 6000s can be linked with dual Gigabit Ethernet connections in a loop configuration, allowing up to 4 gigabits per second links between each switch in a stack. Switches, expansion modules, and redundant power supplies are all hot swappable.

The virtual chassis design also benefits network administrators because it simplifies network management. The OmniSwitch 6000 series can be managed just like an OmniSwitch 7000 or 8000 switch -- drastically reducing network administration time and training.

OmniSwitch 6000s also come with all of the advanced features of the OmniSwitch 7000 and 8000 series and include routing at the edge, layered security, and state of the art intelligence. This new class of virtual chassis design, its superior fail over capabilities, and features like smart continuous switching and automatic service recovery demonstrate Alcatel's commitment to meeting "always on" enterprise requirements.

"Alcatel's OmniSwitch family enables non-stop network operation and simplifies network administration processes across the enterprise," said Eric Penisson, Alcatel Vice President of Network Infrastructure Product Marketing. "Alcatel is able to offer this new level of network predictability through a unified architecture that is designed to deliver the ideal multi-service infrastructure for mission-critical voice and data applications."

"Alcatel's OmniSwitch 8000 is the industry's first true 10 Gigabit backbone switching architecture," said Joel Conover, Principal Analyst, Current Analysis. "Alcatel's OmniSwitch architecture offers compelling technology and an attractive price advantage to customers selecting a converged network solution."

Common operating system and unified management tool across Omni family Alcatel's OmniSwitch family leverage a common operating system with a consistent command line interface to reduce the complexity and time associated with network administrator training. All switches are all managed through a simple, unified management tool called OmniVista that eases quality of service configuration for time-critical applications across multiple devices with a click of a button.

Pricing and Availability

The Alcatel OmniSwitch 6624 starts at $2,785 and the Alcatel OmniSwitch 6648 starts at $4,195. The Alcatel OmniSwitch 8000 series starts at $40,995. All are shipped in Alcatel CrystalSec secure mode.

About Alcatel enterprise networking solutions

Alcatel delivers standards-based IP communications solutions to a global customer base of over 500,000 small, medium and large enterprises, government agencies, healthcare facilities, and educational institutions. Alcatel's award-winning Omni family of IP Communications solutions consists of an extensive portfolio of network switching infrastructure products and IP telephony products built to provide long-term value.

About Alcatel

Alcatel (NYSE:ALA) designs, develops and builds innovative and competitive communications networks, enabling carriers, service providers and enterprises to deliver any type of content, such as voice, data and multimedia, to any type of consumer, anywhere in the world. Relying on its leading and comprehensive products and solutions portfolio, stretching from end-to-end optical infrastructures, fixed and mobile networks to broadband access, Alcatel's customers can focus on optimizing their service offerings and revenue streams. With sales of $22 billion in 2001, Alcatel operates in more than 130 countries. In 2001, the United States was the largest single market served by Alcatel. For more information, visit Alcatel on the Internet: http://www.alcatel.com.