Ascend Targets Corporate Remote LAN Access and Carrier "Pop" Markets with New MAX 4000 WAN Access Switch; MAX 4000 Concentrates Analog, ISDN and Frame Relay Traffic; Centralizes Network Security and Management.

ALAMEDA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 10, 1995--Ascend Communications, Inc. today announced the new MAX 4000, a wide area network access switch for analog, ISDN, switched digital and frame relay dial-in traffic concentration. The MAX 4000 WAN access switch lets users replace all of their different access lines, adapters, routers, terminal servers and modem racks with a three-inch high box and high-speed digital trunks.

"The new MAX is ideal for corporate customers in the process of replacing or upgrading their modem pools, for Internet providers installing more POPs, and for independent telephone companies and carriers that want to provide integrated access to their backbone," said Robert Ryan, Ascend's founder and CEO.

The MAX 4000 solves a number of telecommuting and remote access issues for large corporate sites because of its ability to aggregate simultaneous dial-in calls from analog, ISDN and frame relay circuits onto a single high-speed digital line. Northern Telecom Inc., Research Triangle Park, N.C., currently is using a dozen MAX 4000 WAN access switches for its new 1,000-user telecommuting program, according to Christopher Sousa, manager, application integration at Northern Telecom.

"We like a lot of things about the MAX 4000, including its expandability and increased reliability," says Sousa. "The Ethernet port and the four T1s on the main processor board of the MAX 4000, along with its built-in hardware compression capability, gives us advantages that no other remote access solution can provide."

UUNET, a nationwide provider of Internet services, is installing several hundred MAX 4000 WAN access switches in its network as part of a major network expansion project. "UUNET chose the MAX 4000 because its advanced digital technology is better integrated than other equipment solutions, and it's one-third the cost," said John Sidgemore, president and CEO of UUNET. "We've standardized on the MAX because it supports both analog and digital users and makes it easy for us to add to and maintain a large user base as our network grows."

According to industry analyst Daniel Briere, president of TeleChoice, Verona, N.J., most leading Internet service providers with large-scale remote access needs and high-density modem requirements already have adopted the MAX 4000 as a de facto standard for their Points of Presence (POPs).

"Ascend developed the MAX 4000 in response to demand from Internet service providers for a high-performance product that supports multiple carrier services and multiple applications, while providing tightly-integrated network security and centralized WAN management," Briere said. "Now corporate America has recognized that these same MAX capabilities can provide solutions for telecommuting and remote LAN access."

The MAX 4000

The new MAX 4000 saves equipment and transmission costs by concentrating 96 simultaneous dial-in calls from analog, ISDN and frame relay circuits onto a single high-speed digital line. Functioning as an intelligent remote access server, the MAX 4000 performs full IP routing and bridging and supports all standard PPP options. Other MAX 4000 features include a powerful RISC processor, a dedicated chip which performs compression processing without burdening the main processor, and a digital modem capability that supports up to 48 V.34 analog modem users at speeds up to 28.8 kbit/s.

Pricing and Availability

The MAX 4000 is available now. Price varies depending on configuration. The base unit, which comes standard with four T1 or PR1 connections and an Ethernet connection directly on the motherboard, starts at $18,500. A fully-loaded unit supporting 48 high-speed V.34 digital modems is competitively priced at $55,500. Optional expansion modules are available that support ISDN BRI, inverse multiplexing and V.32bis and V.34 digital modems.

Ascend Communications, Inc. develops, manufactures, sells and supports a broad range of high-speed digital wide area network access products. These products use bandwidth on demand to enhance and extend existing corporate networks for applications such as remote LAN access, Internet access, bulk file transfer, videoconferencing, imaging and integrated voice, data and video access. Ascend is headquartered at 1275 Harbor Bay Parkway, Alameda, California 94502. Phone: [phone] or 510/769-6001; Fax: [phone]; E-mail: [e-mail]. Ascend's home page on the World Wide Web is HTTP://WWW.ASCEND.COM.

CONTACT: Ascend Communications, Alameda

Jerri Emm, 510/769-6001

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Gallagher PR

Kevin Gallagher, 510/743-7830

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