Bellcore Document Major Step in ATM Cell Relay Interoperability.

RED BANK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 22, 1995--Bellcore has issued its early view of Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM)/Cell Relay core features to help achieve interoperability between telecommunications carriers offering the service.

ATM is a fast-packet, cell-based technology that allows high- speed, broadband transmission of data, video, text and voice, ATM/Cell Relay Service offer's a flexible use of bandwidth because it can accommodate both constant and variable rates of information traffic.

The features are published in a Special Report (SR-3330 Issue 1) entitled "Cell Relay Service Core Features." The SR presents a fundamental set of features for both exchange and exchange access Permanent Virtual Connection (PVC) Cell Relay Service, (PVC allows transmission across preestablished network connections.)

According to Bellcore's Tom Farese, a consultant in the Broadband Services Technology Group, the Special Report was issued as early as possible to help keep the telecommunications industry "on the same page" when implementing ATM/Cell Relay services. "Customers would like to have compatibility among different public network providers offering ATM/Cell Relay Services," he said. "If this happens, customers using different telecommunications carriers" services will be able to readily communicate with each other."

The document includes a description of the features that end users can expect from a carrier providing ATM/Cell Relay as well as features that any carrier can expect to be offered by another carrier providing exchange access service. These core set of features will be instrumental to supporting interoperability among network and service providers.

Bellcore defined the features in phases -- recognizing that service providers will likely introduce Cell Relay Services over a period of time. The SR identifies features and capabilities that will likely be in initial offerings as Phase 1, while later offerings are defined as Phase 2. Both phases build upon the capabilities defined in the ATM Forum's User-Network Interface Specification 3.0/3.1 document. The ATM Forum is an industry association with representatives from several hundred companies throughout the telecommunications, computing and user communities. This group has addressed many aspects of related to implementation of ATM technology.

"This Special Report is a living document that will be updated as the ATM/Cell Relay technology matures," Farese said, "For example, Issue I discusses Permanent Virtual Connections. In a future issue, we'll address Switched Virtual Connections that will allow real-time connections through the public switched network."

SR-3330 is available from Bellcore Customer Relations at 1- 800-521-CORE (U.S. and Canada) and [phone] (for foreign calls).

Bellcore is a leading provider of communications software and consulting services based on world-class research. Bellcore creates the business solutions that make information technology work for telecommunications carriers, businesses and governments worldwide.

CONTACT: Bellcore

Ken Branson [phone]