Ariel Announces Industry's Highest Density CompactPCI 56K/ISDN Network Access Solution; Combines Eight T1/E1/PRI Interfaces With 168 Ports of Network Access On A Pair Of 6U Cards.

Business Editors & High-Tech Writers

CRANBURY, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 20, 2001

Makes It Possible To Pack 1680 56K/ISDN Ports in a 12U Space

Ariel Corp. (Nasdaq:ADSP), a leading supplier of Windows NT and Linux remote access solutions for technical OEMs, today announced the industry's highest density 56K/ISDN network access solution for CompactPCI systems. Dubbed the RS4200C, the card set combines eight T1/PRI or E1/PRI interfaces with up to 168 ports of modem, ISDN, GSM, and PHS access.

"The RS4200C is ideal for technical OEMs and integrators who are building carrier-class network access systems for ISPs, CLECs and other service providers," said Ned Viands, product manager for technical OEM products at Ariel Corp. "In addition to providing the industry's highest density, the RS4200C is hot-swappable, provides easy access to rear-panel I/O and features an industry standard H.110 interface, all of which are essential for building scaleable, high-density, high-availability, telco-grade network access systems."

The RS4200C solution consists of two components, the 6U RS4100C network interface card and the 6U MP5000 168-port DSP/modem card:

The RS4100C provides eight T1/E1 Primary Rate ISDN (PRI) network interfaces that support Robbed-Bit Signaling (RBS) and T1/E1 PRI signaling. It also supports T1/E1 clear channelized signaling, which enables it to be used with low-cost Inter Machine Trunks that work with out-of-band signaling like SS7. ISDN support includes HDLC, Q.921, and Q.931. The RS4100C is compatible with a variety of PRI protocol variants, including 4ESS, 5ESS, National ISDN-2 (NI-2), DMS-100, ETSI NET5, NTT and TS014.

The MP5000 is a high-density DSP/modem pool that can accommodate up to 168 network access sessions originating from any combination of modem (V.90, V.34bis, and fallbacks), ISDN, GSM, or PHS (Personal Handy System) wireless customer premises equipment. The MP5000 baseboard provides 96 ports. The MP5000 also provides three mezzanine sites, which accommodate 24-port modules and enable the MP5000 to be equipped with up to 168 ports.

Both the RS4100C and MP5000 feature industry-standard H.110 TDM (Time Division Multiplexed) interfaces that are optimized for routing voice, fax, data and other multimedia traffic. This interface maximizes system performance by enabling the RS4100C and MP5000 to communicate over the CompactPCI backplane without interfering with system bus transfers.

Multiple RS4100C and MP5000 cards can be installed in the same CompactPCI chassis to support a variety of high-density configurations. For example, a Motorola Computer Group CPX8221 carrier-grade CompactPCI chassis, equipped with seven RS4100C cards and ten MP5000 cards, provides 1680 ports of modem and ISDN access in a 12U space.

The RS4200C is hot-swappable and complies fully with the PICMG Hot Plug specification. This makes it ideal for high-availability telco applications that require the ability to insert and remove network access cards while the system is running without disrupting service. The RS4200C also enhances availability by utilizing rear panel I/O, which concentrates all cabling and protection circuitry in the rear of the chassis, thereby enabling quick insertion and removal of cards without plugging and unplugging cables.

The RS4200C meets worldwide standards for safety and EMI/RFI emissions. Included are USA UL1950, FCC Part 15 (Class A), and FCC Part 68: Canada CASA22.2 No. 950, ICES-003, Class A, CS03 Part II and Part IV; and Europe CE Mark.

The RS4200C comes with an OEM Development Kit that includes a Red Hat (Nasdaq:RHAT) Linux reference driver, utilities, and all the documentation needed to write drivers for other operating systems. A Windows NT driver is also available to technical OEMs.

The RS4200C list price starts at $20,484, including a five-year hardware warranty and one year of service and support. Hardware will be released to production, and beta software made available, at the end of this month.

More on Ariel

Ariel Corp. (Nasdaq:ADSP) is a leading provider of high-density, SS7-enabled dial-up access equipment for applications such as Internet access, corporate Intranet/Extranet access, on-line services, telecommuting, transaction processing and unified messaging. Ariel's dial-up access concentrator products make it easy for ISPs and OEMs targeting ISPs and other service providers to create high-density dial-up solutions using open systems platforms running a variety of popular operating systems, including Windows NT and Linux.

Statements contained in this press release that are not historical facts are forward looking statements that are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. Forward looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including market acceptance of the company's products by technical original equipment manufacturers and Internet service providers, the timely development and acceptance of new products, the impact of competitive products and pricing, changing market conditions and the other risks detailed from time to time in the company's filings with the SEC. These risks and uncertainties could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or currently expected. These forward looking statements represent the company's judgment as of the date of this release. The company disclaims, however, any intent or obligation to update these forward looking statements.