Covad Chooses Pulsecom's WavePacer IDSL Solution to Offer New 144 Kbps Remote LAN Access Service; CLEC Already Rolling Out Services to Customers in San Francisco Bay Area.

HERNDON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 20, 1998--Pulsecom, a leading supplier of communications access solutions, Tuesday announced that Covad Communications Co., a Competitive Local Exchange Carrier (CLEC) located in Santa Clara, Calif., has selected Pulsecom's WavePacer IDSL Solution for its new 144 Kbps remote LAN access service.

Using the WavePacer IDSL Solution, Covad's TeleSpeed 144 service is designed to provide improved performance at a significantly lower cost than services provided by incumbent LECs (Local Exchange Carriers) and will be targeted primarily to teleworkers who require high speed access to corporate LANs and to the Internet.

Pulsecom's WavePacer IDSL Solution which consists of the WavePacer IDSL-128 Line Card and the Wideband DSL Network Management System (NMS) combines the advantages of DSL technology with the widespread availability and cost-effectiveness of existing ISDN technology and equipment.

The system integrates with D4 channel banks, Digital Loop Carrier (DLC) systems, Frame Relay backbones, popular network management platforms and existing CPE equipment, protecting service providers' and subscribers' investments in existing systems and minimizing the overall cost of offering new high speed data services.

For these reasons, the WavePacer IDSL Solution is ideal for CLECs like Covad that want to quickly and cost-effectively deploy services for their customers without making substantial investments in new equipment and systems.

After successful lab and field trials, Covad purchased and deployed Pulsecom's WavePacer IDSL-128 Line Cards and several of Pulsecom's D4 channel banks into which the line cards can be easily integrated.

According to John Rugo, vice president of operations for Covad, the CLEC selected the Pulsecom WavePacer IDSL Solution for its immediate availability, cost-effectiveness and its ability to interoperate with existing, standards-based equipment and systems.

"We liked the fact that the WavePacer IDSL Solution could be integrated with a D4 platform, since we know this technology is standards-based and very stable," commented Rugo. "And, since Pulsecom has an installed base of more than 3 million D4 lines, we were confident that they had the right experience and skill set to answer our specific needs."

Added Rugo, "Availability was also a critical issue for us, as we wanted to be able to roll out our services as quickly as possible. The WavePacer IDSL Solution is a mature and stable product and Pulsecom has been extremely responsive to our needs. The result is that we were able to quickly roll out our TeleSpeed 144 service using the Pulsecom product."

"The WavePacer IDSL Solution is continuing to prove a popular solution for competitive providers," said Terry Wolters, vice president of sales for Pulsecom. "Covad is one of several CLECs benefiting from the fact that the WavePacer IDSL Solution can be installed very quickly and easily -- enabling them to reduce their costs and dramatically decrease their time to market."

Covad Communications is the first digital communications company focusing on corporations and Internet Service Providers that require greater bandwidth and better support to meet the needs of their internal and external customers.

Covad Communications is located at 3560 Bassett St., Santa Clara, Calif. 95054. For more information concerning Covad Communications and the TeleSpeed service, visit http//www.covad.com; email: [e-mail]; telephone: [phone] or 888/GO-COVAD; fax: [phone].

Pulsecom (www.pulse.com) supplies communications access solutions to Incumbent Local Exchange Carriers (ILECs), Competitive Local Exchange Carriers, Internet Service Providers (ISPs), and distributors worldwide.

Pulsecom's extensive product line ranges from POTS (plain old telephone service) to ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) to high-speed Internet and broadband access solutions.

The company is the largest manufacturer of D4 and plug-compatible equipment for Digital Loop Carrier systems in the industry, with more than 7 million voice and data circuits deployed. Pulsecom is an ISO 9001-registered firm with headquarters in Herndon, and regional offices throughout the world.

CONTACT: Pulsecom, Herndon

Alecia Cooper, 703/478-7087, [e-mail]

or

LSH Communications

Lori Hultin, 805/493-0734, [e-mail]