GENERAL DATACOMM INTRODUCES APEX MULTIMEDIA ACCESS CONCENTRATOR 1; Compact ATM Switch Provides Highly Integrated ATM Access To Remote Locations At Lowest Industry Cost.

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--January 24, 1995-- General DataComm Inc. (NYSE - GDC), the leader in providing real business solutions based on ATM products and services, today introduced at ComNet '95 (Booth 870) the APEX-MAC1 (Multimedia Access Concentrator), a smaller, lower cost member of GDC's APEX switch family. The APEX-MAC1 enables customers to extend the reach of ATM technology from the edge of an enterprise or service provider's network to smaller workgroups and traffic locations.

GDC's APEX switches offer users a scalable solution, ideally suited for meeting low- to high-end application needs. The APEX-DV2 and NPX switches accommodate 16 slots each, the APEX-MAC accommodates eight slots and the APEX-MAC1 accommodates four slots. All cards are interchangeable from system to system.

Designed to support applications such as videoconferencing, distance learning and medical imaging, to name just a few, the APEX-MAC1 functions as a concentrator for smaller locations that require access to the ATM backbone. It converges LAN, voice and video traffic onto high-speed trunk lines that connect to a broadband network. For smaller businesses, the APEX-MAC1 concentrates various traffic types onto a single high-speed trunk before sending it to a public ATM network. And for service providers, the APEX-MAC1 can be sold or leased to customers as an access point into their ATM service.

"GDC is committed to providing top notch, cost effective ATM solutions," said Michael C. Thurk, senior vice president of marketing, General DataComm. "At a quarter of the cost of similar products, the APEX-MAC1 delivers a highly affordable ATM solution for smaller locations."

The APEX-MAC1, like all of GDC's ATM products, provides flexible support for today's diverse array of network applications. It features LAN interconnectivity; circuit switched data, voice and video using circuit emulation; together with Frame Relay and ATM switching. The APEX-MAC1 features full software and configuration download with SNMP- based management. Additionally, it will soon offer an integral NTSC/PAL video compression and adaptation capability.

The APEX-MAC1 features a robust traffic management architecture, which has distinguished GDC in numerous ATM network deployments, pilot tests and analyst studies. The APEX-MAC1 is designed to ensure that each individual ATM cell is switched and prioritized according to the application it supports. The low delay requirements of voice and video traffic are accommodated and dynamically balanced with simultaneous bursty LAN applications. And GDC's distributed buffering scheme and traffic policing protect against network overload, and guarantee transmission reliability and integrity.

The switch has an open network management system that provides carriers and commercial users with a highly reliable network. It is also one of the few switches available to support Switched Virtual Circuits (SVCs), based on the ATM Forum UNI version 3.1 and ITU Q.2931 standards.

The APEX-MAC1 is fully scalable and can be upgraded easily and cost-effectively to accommodate incremental network growth. As network requirements increase, the APEX-MAC1 can be reconfigured to provide the larger capacity of GDC's APEX-NPX or APEX-DV2 ATM switches.

The GDC APEX-MAC1 will begin shipping in January and provides full ATM switch capabilities and LAN/WAN access in a compact 4.2"h x 17.4"w x 18.75"d package. Pricing for an APEX-MAC1 chassis, power supply, switch fabric and system management module is $6,000. Typically, system costs range from $15,000 - $30,000.

The GDC APEX family of ATM switches includes the APEX-NPX, designed to meet the demanding requirements of telecommunications service providers, and APEX-DV2, an enterprise premises switch for campus or private network environments that have numerous types of networking equipment (i.e., data, voice, video, LANs). This switch is typically configured as a concentration point for all networking equipment located in a building or campus site. GDC APEX is a scalable system that can easily and cost effectively be upgraded to accommodate network growth.

General DataComm is the leader in providing real business solutions for enterprise and telecommunications networks based on ATM products and services. Its extensive product line includes the APEX family of ATM switches, LAN internetworking products, multiplexers, digital data sets and high-speed dial up modems. Based in Middlebury, Connecticut, GDC provides communications solutions worldwide.

CONTACT: Laura Bradshaw Kathy Wilson/Eric Eddy

General DataComm The Weber Group

203-574-1118 617-661-7900