Ashton Communications selects Cascade's Frame Relay and ATM Switches to build advanced data services network; Cascade creates backbone for Mexico's largest Frame Relay Network offering high speed data services and Internet access.

WESTFORD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 8, 1996--Cascade Communications Corp. (NASDAQ:CSCC) today announced it has been awarded a multi-million dollar contract by Ashton Communications. The contract calls for deployment of B-STDX multiservice WAN switches and Cascade 500 ATM switches to create a high-capacity, multiservice backbone for Ashton's advanced multi-national data and Internet services.

The initial contract calls for deployment of 40 Cascade B-STDX switches in Mexico. In phase I, Ashton will offer High Speed Frame Relay services with Frame Relay-to-ATM Interworking Services. The phased deployment includes installation of an additional 153 B-STDX switches in five South American countries over the next two years and future service expansion to Europe, Asia and the Middle East. In addition to Frame Relay services, Ashton will offer ISDN, ATM and SMDS services. Phase II network expansion will include the deployment of Cascade 500 ATM switches.

A fast growing market for data services, Mexico is among the first countries, in addition to the U.S. and Canada, to deploy High Speed Frame Relay. Ashton has established the first Frame Relay network of this scale in Mexico to allow companies to interconnect with North America and, ultimately, the world. Key Ashton customers include American corporations requiring T1/EI connections to Mexico.

"There is a large and immediate demand for High Speed Frame Relay due to the number of transnationals in Mexico," said Jose Luis Lozada, vice president of sales and marketing for Ashton Communications. "Cascade's ATM switches are required for our internodal (POP) backbone trunking as well as some large corporations that need ATM access now. We chose Cascade's solution as the primary switch for AcNet because it provides the highest scalability at the lowest cost -- key requirements for emerging markets seeking increased network capacity as well as efficiency. Cascade's ATM routing functions and the seamless interworking between the B-STDX and Cascade 500 also enable us to deliver high quality of service levels."

Deregulation of the telecommunications industry has allowed Ashton to expand its offerings while providing a level of service not seen before in Mexico. As the major backbone provider in Mexico, Ashton's Internet access bandwidth is greater than all the bandwidth in South America combined. Ashton's unique positioning in this marketplace has resulted in rapid growth, delivering a leadership position in the Mexican market, including 40 percent of public Frame Relay services and 20 percent of the Internet market (35 percent for large bandwidth users).

"Ashton is dedicated to bringing data services to Mexico and Latin America through its high-quality, high speed, international digital network -- AcNet," added Lozada. "Cascade's switches provide a cost-effective, reliable solution, enabling us to fulfill our commitment to establish AcNet as the premier Internet and Frame Relay backbone of Mexico and Latin America."

Ashton's AcNet network offers the most advanced communications services in Mexico and will cover the United States and 77 cities in Mexico by the end of August 1996. AcNet is three years old and one of the fastest growing carrier networks for the Frame Relay and Internet markets with over 31,500 Internet users.

"Recent deregulation has resulted in new markets opening to American carriers and service providers, providing new opportunities for growth and expansion," said Daniel E. Smith, president and CEO of Cascade Communications Corp. "Cascade is proud to deliver the technology to enable Ashton to deploy the first network of this kind in Mexico."

Cascade's B-STDX multiservice switch simultaneously supports Frame Relay, ATM, and ISDN on a single platform. The Cascade 500, a 10 Gbps, standards-compliant ATM switch, guarantees diverse qualities of service and provides the industry's highest scalability on a single platform.

About Ashton Communications

Ashton Communications, a US carrier and Internet Service Provider, offers Internet connectivity and high-speed data services to customers in the United States and Mexico, with plans to expand service to Asia, the Middle East and Europe. Headquartered in Southern California, Ashton Communications offers reliable and cost-effective data services, including Frame Relay, ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network), ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) and SMDS (Switched Multimegabit Data Services), to emerging markets. Customers in Mexico include the government, Expansion 500 companies (the Mexican equivalent of the Fortune 500) and medium-size corporations.

About Cascade Communications Corp.

One of the world's fastest growing data communications companies and price/performance leader in frame relay, Cascade Communications Corp. (NASDAQ:CSCC) of Westford, Mass. is a global provider of wide area networking products for the public carrier, Internet Service Provider, and enterprise markets. Cascade delivers multiservice WAN switches and network management solutions that enable customers to seamlessly integrate existing technologies with ATM for cost-effective network expansion and investment protection.

Cascade's B-STDX multiservice WAN switches and the Cascade 500 ATM switch offer the highest scalability and network capacity in the industry. Worldwide, private and public networks such as Bell Atlantic, BellSouth, GTE, Pacific Bell, US West, LDDS WorldCom, and BT rely on Cascade products for unparalleled quality of service and high-performance WAN services. The heart of the Internet, Cascade switches are deployed by leading Internet Service Providers such as PSINet, UUNET, NETCOM, AGIS (Apex Global Information Services, Inc.), CRL Network Services, and Ashton Communications.

CONTACT: Lucia Graziano

Cascade Communications Corp.

508-692-2600

or

Maureen Liberty/Susan Shelby

Neva Group

617-441-4000