Ascom Timeplex wins $2 million contract to reconstruct HPT Croatia's telecommunications network; Scope of project includes equipping digital leased line network with AD-10s and SYNCHRONY ST-50s and ST-20s.

WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--December 11, 1995--Ascom Timeplex, a leading provider of network systems solutions, has been awarded a contract to install a digital leased line network for Croatian Posts and Telecommunications (HPT).

Competing for the contract against several bidders, including Newbridge/Siemens, Ascom Timeplex was awarded the project for three reasons: mainly new technology that best meets HPT's needs; product pricing and the high level of support offered through the local Ascom Timeplex agent.

Over the last five years, HPT has concentrated its efforts on rebuilding the telecommunications network -- mainly the telephone network, damaged by the war in 1991 in the former Yugoslav republic -- and to upgrade it to the present level. The state-owned HPT provides public telecommunications facilities for the entire country. While the present state of telephone penetration in Croatia is approximately 28 main telephone lines per 100 inhabitants, HPT has been laying over 2,000 kilometers of fiber optic cable per year, which have penetrated into metropolitan areas, especially in the capital city of Zagreb.

The first delivery of 20 SYNCHRONY ST nodes and 240 AD-3, AD-7 and AD-10s has been received in Zagreb. All shipments should be received by year end, and the network will be operational within the following two months. Once operational, the network will carry a mix of disparate traffic types, including TDM and frame relay.

Besides HPT's obvious concerns for quality and reliability, the state-owned utility's requirements for the network included the efficient use of bandwidth and the ability of the network to simultaneously carry voice and data transmissions over the same physical line. Ascom Timeplex easily met these requirements with its SYNCHRONY product line, which features the company's unique EXPRESS ROUTING and EXPRESS SWITCHING technology.

According to K. Jakupek, managing director of HPT Croatia, "For two years, Ascom Timeplex provided us with the rudimentary information regarding leased-line networks, essentially explaining the benefits we could derive from such a network." Prior to the agreement for installation of the SYNCHRONY nodes, HPT Croatia considered installing Ascom Timeplex's LINK family of integrated connectivity products, but finally decided to use the company's SYNCHRONY line of hybrid circuit and frame switching products. "Eventually, we decided to use the leased-line network due to the transmission speeds." While the two speeds currently available are 64 kbps and 2 Mbps, the ST network enables HPT Croatia to sell subrate leased lines and lines running fractional E1, from 64 kbps to 2 Mbps.

Until installation of the digital leased line network is complete, data transmission will occur in two ways: by a network of telephone leased lines and a special switched packet public data network, known as CROAPAK net. According to officials, one of the main reasons that HPT decided to install a leased line network rather than opting for connection to CROAPAK was to ensure quality of service for delay-sensitive traffic such as voice and video.

SYNCHRONY ST-20/50 AND AD-10

Part of Ascom Timeplex's family of hybrid frame-relay/circuit switches, the ST-20/50 are capable of simultaneously supporting combined voice, video and data traffic over one networking structure, optimizing the use of wide area bandwidth, a major concern of HPT. Besides being a true hybrid, these SYNCHRONY products are cross-connect systems capable of grooming and switching vast amounts of data and voice traffic.

In conjunction with the SYNCHRONY nodes, the AC-powered AD-10 Access Device provides HPT with a low-cost, stand-alone branch product, offering as many as eight analog voice ports and 16 data ports. The AD-10 can be connected to any ST node via a 56-kbps or 64-kbps trunk.

About Ascom Timeplex

Ascom Timeplex is a recognized leader in enterprise networking systems solutions. The company helps organizations manage business-critical voice, data and video traffic by providing solutions built on innovative network development, implementation and support services and based on scalable local and wide area network technology.

Headquartered in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, Ascom Timeplex offers global services and support for all its products in 70 countries on seven continents. Ascom Timeplex is an operating division of Ascom Enterprise Networks, a core business unit of Ascom Holding AG, Bern, Switzerland, an international telecommunications company whose shares are traded on the Zurich Stock Exchange.

Additional company and product information can be found on Ascom Timeplex's home page: http://www.timeplex.com

SYNCHRONY, EXPRESS SWITCHING and EXPRESS ROUTING are trademarks of Ascom Timeplex Trading AG.

CONTACT: Ascom Timeplex

Patricia Jachens Rohme

201/391-1111