Alcatel shipping industry's first multiplexer to bridge the gap between SONET and asynchronous networks.

RICHARDSON, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 16, 1997--Alcatel is now shipping to customers in North America the Alcatel 1603/12 SM R 6.0 SONET (synchronous optical network) multiplexer -- the industry's first with a plug in "transmultiplexer" (called FlexPoint.) card for comprehensive traffic management and interconnection between new SONET and older asynchronous networks.

"The great utility of FlexPoint. lies in its ability to translate effectively between asynchronous DS1 to DS3 multiplexing structures and SONET VT to STS-1, which removes the need for asynchronous M13 multiplexers in the network," said Joe Bass, Vice President and General Manager, Lightwave Products and Optical Networks, Alcatel Network Systems. "Although carriers are investing heavily in new SONET equipment, roughly seventy percent of the industry's current network consists of previous-generation asynchronous equipment. FlexPoint. makes it easier for carriers to manage the transition."

The 1603/12 SM will accommodate three FlexPoint. options -- any mix of electrical DS1 (24 voice channels), DS3/STS1 (672 voice channels) or optical OC-3 (155 Mbit/s) interfaces -- and allow an in-service upgrade to OC-12 (622 Mbit/s). With all of these options, carriers will find that the FlexPoint. transmultiplexer eliminates the need to purchase, install and maintain asynchronous M13 multiplexers.

For situations where only one DS1 of capacity is required, or when a full DS3 load contains many DS1s headed in different directions, the FlexPoint. card accepts a DS3 signal and grooms out the target DS1. The 1603/12 SM then maps these DS1 signals into the SONET payload as VT1.5 signals and manages each signal for total carrier control and monitoring purposes.

When the last link in a network is non-SONET, an Alcatel DS1 performance monitoring card allows end-to-end monitoring of a circuit all the way to the on-premise CSU (Customer Service Unit). The CSU terminates the copper T1 span inside the customer premise and performs monitoring, maintenance and conditioning functions. The 1603/12 SM's combination of enhanced asynchronous and SONET functionality enables carriers to guarantee and verify the quality of service delivered to the customer.

As such, the Alcatel 1603/12 SM provides a full array of measurement capabilities. Alcatel calculates performance on both the transmit and receive ends and reads the DS1 data link overhead to determine the BER (bit error rate) performance. Alcatel offers this feature not only at the local service delivery end, but also at the origination point on the other side of the network. Since these measurements do not disrupt traffic, the provider can use them to reduce service downtime and costly maintenance activities.

Alcatel's activities in North America include the design, manufacture and service of a full line of voice, data, video and multimedia telecommunications products -- such as ATM switching systems, digital cross connects, DSL systems, fiber optic transmission systems, optical amplifiers, microwave radios, wireless communications switches, video codecs, and network management systems. The telecommunications and broadcast industries, private operators and corporations use these products to create high performance networks. The global operations of Alcatel make it one of the world's leading communications equipment manufacturers. Alcatel is part of the Alcatel Alsthom group, which maintains its headquarters in Paris. Alcatel Alsthom trades on the New York Stock Exchange as ALA.

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