Bell Atlantic Offers Frame Relay Network Customers Seamless Connections with ATM Sites; Versatility Preserves Investments in Frame Relay.

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--October 12, 1998--Frame relay network managers can now expand their networks by integrating ATM (asynchronous transfer mode) and frame relay services on a single network. The new feature from Bell Atlantic is called Frame Relay-to-ATM Service Interworking.

The combination of both services on the same network provides the flexibility to select on a location-by-location basis the best service -- either ATM or frame relay -- to support customer applications.

"Many companies have created frame relay networks to increase bandwidth at a reduced cost, but heightened use of multimedia is causing some network managers to also consider using ATM," said Cheryl Lyle, ATM Product Manager, Bell Atlantic. "Frame Relay-to-ATM Service Interworking provides an economical solution combining the best features of both networks while preserving existing investments. Customers see the opportunity to expand networks to include many more sites now that frame relay and ATM can be fully integrated."

The new Bell Atlantic interworking service is available in Maryland, Delaware, the District of Columbia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. It is designed for government agencies and businesses with branch offices and regional centers, especially those in finance, education, and health care.

Successful Trial at Virginia Tech

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) is one such customer. The university conducted a successful 60-day technical trial that linked several ATM and frame relay sites to ensure that they would operate smoothly using the current infrastructure.

Bell Atlantic's Frame Relay-to-ATM Service Interworking feature will allow Virginia Tech to grow NET.WORK.VIRGINIA, which is an important network of physical locations in the state dedicated to providing lifelong education to the people of Virginia.

"There are 250 network locations right now, including universities and K-12 schools connected primarily via ATM. We expect that number to increase to about 2,000 locations over the next year since they can be connected via both frame relay and ATM," said Jeff Crowder, project director for NET.WORK.VIRGINIA at Virginia Tech.

The Interworking Function

The interworking feature is transparent. Frame relay end-users are unaware they are connected to an ATM user and, likewise, the ATM end-user is not aware of the connection to a frame relay user. In the Bell Atlantic network, the interworking function is provided by Ascend's B-STDX 9000 Multiservice Switch. The switches performing the frame relay to ATM interworking are equipped with Ascend's DS3 ATM card, which are connected to an Ascend CBX 500 ATM switch.

"Bell Atlantic is providing a seamless connection -- through Ascend equipment-- between the frame relay and ATM networks, which is critical for end-users. We are on our second generation of interworking products, which have proven to be user-friendly and easy to provision and, as a result, helpful in this seamless connection," said Tom DeCanio, vice president, product marketing, Core Switching Division, Ascend Communications, Inc.

Frame Relay and ATM Benefits

Frame Relay remains one of the most popular and fastest-growing methods of transporting voice and data over wide area networks. ATM has become the preferred technology for supporting multimedia applications over wide area networks.

Instead of using costly physical facilities to connect multiple locations, frame relay service uses the public network to give customers Permanent Virtual Connections (PVCs) that provide multi-site connectivity through the same physical access line. A single virtual circuit can take the place of hundreds of dedicated low-speed lines, cables, hardware units, and modems. By sharing network resources, businesses benefit from greatly reduced costs.

ATM Cell Relay service, based on powerful ATM and SONET (synchronous optical network) technologies, supports applications including video distribution and conferencing, distance learning, local area network interconnections, high speed data base access, digital libraries, research collaboration and Internet support for both high speed access and network backbones. Most importantly, ATM supports all of these applications on a single network.

Ascend Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASND) develops, manufactures, sells and services wide area networking solutions for telecommunications carriers, Internet service providers and corporate customers worldwide. For more information about Ascend and its products, please visit the Ascend web site at http://www.ascend.com or send e-mail to [e-mail]. Ascend is headquartered at One Ascend Plaza, 1701 Harbor Bay Parkway, Alameda, Calif. 94502; phone is 800/ASCEND4 and fax is 510/814-2300.

Bell Atlantic's Large Business Services offers an extensive suite of communications solutions. Whether for voice, data, images or video, Bell Atlantic's All@once Solutions represents a tailored approach for customers. Account team members work closely with information and business managers, combining a keen understanding of their business requirements with professional consulting skills, guiding customers through the complexities of network analysis, product selection, installation, and migration paths. To learn more about All@once Solutions--a perfect fit for business--visit www.bellatlantic.com/largebiz/, or call 1-800-846-1200, extension 7299.

Bell Atlantic is at the forefront of the new communications and information industry. With more than 41 million telephone access lines and more than seven million wireless customers worldwide, Bell Atlantic companies are premier providers of advanced wireline voice and data services, market leaders in wireless services and the world's largest publishers of directory information. Bell Atlantic companies are also among the world's largest investors in high-growth global communications markets, with operations and investments in 23 countries.

INTERNET USERS: Bell Atlantic news releases, executive speeches, news media contacts and other useful information are available at Bell Atlantic's News Center on the World Wide Web (http://www.ba.com). To receive news releases by e-mail, visit the News Center and register for personalized automatic delivery of Bell Atlantic news releases.