MFA Forum Converges on Solution for ATM to MPLS Control Plane Interworking; Progress Also Reported on High Speed Extension to ATM Signaling, Merged Forum Celebrates Past Accomplishments.

FREMONT, Calif. -- MFA Forum members meeting in Ottawa last month neared completion on Interoperability Agreements (IAs) addressing ATM and Frame Relay to MPLS Control Plane Interworking, and extensions to the ATM Signaling protocol to support high-speed connection greater than seven Gigabits per second (Gbps). The meeting was the first held under the banner of The MFA Forum, following the successful completion of the merger of the MPLS & Frame Relay Alliance and the ATM Forum. The merged group will focus on optimizing and interworking the three primary telecoms transport technologies -- ATM, MPLS & Frame Relay -- in a unified and streamlined technical committee and on representing the industry with a single voice.

The ATM Forum brings to the MFA Forum a body of over 200 ATM technical specifications; a core group of industry experts in control-signaling, interworking and transport & services architectures; a global reputation for producing high quality, technology specifications; and a 14-year track record in market awareness and education activities that have helped make ATM one of the most widely deployed and trusted transport infrastructures.

"The first meeting of the MFA Forum was a great success," said Andrew G. Malis of Tellabs, and president and chairman of the MFA Forum. "With input from our Service Providers and forward movement from our technical committees, the MFA Forum is contributing to the industry by driving the convergence of multi-services networking technologies -- ATM, FR, and TDM -- over IP/MPLS."

Building on the joint expertise of ATM, Frame Relay and MPLS, the MFA Forum is completing work on ATM and Frame Relay to MPLS Control Plane Interworking, with a final implementation agreement expected by the end of 2005. The proposed IA requires no changes to the existing ATM infrastructure; instead it will simplify migration from ATM to next-generation IP/MPLS-based packet networks. The agreement protects carrier investment in current services and their revenue streams while enabling emerging IP applications and services.

The High Speed Connection work project is aimed at accommodating data transfer between storage servers. High-end servers have the ability to push out 10 Gbps; this IA will allow those servers to get the most from their 10G links when ATM is part of the network solution.

"As the market has evolved over the past several years, it has become increasingly important for service providers to deploy a range of technologies in their core, edge and access infrastructures in order to control costs, stay competitive and meet customer demands for new and enhanced, as well as secure, voice and data services," said John Rutemiller of Marconi, board member of the MFA Forum and chair of the ATM Architecture Working Group. "Collaboration prior to the merger has already progressed the work to integrate the three technologies, and these two IAs have been able to move forward quickly under the umbrella of the MFA Forum."

About the MFA Forum

The MFA Forum is an international, industry-wide, nonprofit association of service providers, equipment vendors and enterprise users. The focus of the Forum is to advance the deployment of multi-vendor, multi-service packet-based networks, associated applications, and interworking solutions for telecommunications and networking. The Forum is driving the convergence of ATM, Frame Relay and IP/MPLS technologies in the global telecom industry through interoperability initiatives, implementation agreements, and educational and marketing resources and programs. The Forum currently has more than 60 members. For Forum membership information please contact Alexa Morris, executive director, at 510-608-5914 or via e-mail at [e-mail]. Additional information about The MFA Forum is available online at http://www.mfaforum.org.