ReFlex Communications Selects Alcatel to Deliver Broadband Internet Services and Applications to Apartment and Condo Communities.Business Editors and High Tech and Real Estate Writers SEATTLE & CALABASAS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 9, 2000 Alcatel and ReFlex Communications Inc., a leading provider of digital broadband Internet See broadband. services to residents and managers of apartment and condominium condominium In modern property law, individual ownership of one dwelling unit within a multidwelling building. Unit owners have undivided ownership interest in the land and those portions of the building shared in common. communities, today announced that ReFlex Communications will incorporate over 200 of Alcatel's OmniSwitch and OmniAccess 408 switching platforms into its high-capacity customer network. Alcatel will provide the key infrastructure to allow ReFlex Communications to easily offer business-quality broadband services such as Internet connectivity and voice/video/data services to residential clients in multi-dwelling units (MDUs) throughout the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. . Alcatel's OmniSwitch and OmniAccess 408 solutions will provide ReFlex Communications with the flexibility and convergence technologies it needs to offer increased next-generation applications over the Internet at varying capacities and at specified Quality of Service levels. "Broadband and convergence has provided us with new opportunities for offering our customers increased services," said Dennis Muse, ReFlex Communications, chief executive officer. "We needed a technology partner with the products that could help our business grow. Alcatel's OmniSwitch and OmniAccess 408 products allow us to deliver next-generation IP-based applications on demand and with unlimited scalability." "ReFlex Communications is an outstanding example of a company leveraging convergence and broadband in order to provide new services using the ASP model," said Joelle Gauthier, Alcatel vice president, enterprise marketing. "We look forward to providing them with all of the products and services they need to succeed in the era of convergence and advanced Internet applications." A typical network A typical market for ReFlex Communications consists of dual Alcatel OmniSwitches with ATM at the core to provide carrier-class QoS and connectivity to the Internet. Alcatel's OmniSwitches are also used at hub sites where the traffic from several buildings is aggregated and connected via ATM to the core. Within the building ReFlex Communications uses xDSL and other high-speed technologies to connect users to the network. Alcatel's Omni Access 408 and/or OmniSwitch products in the MDU (1) (Multiple Dwelling Unit) A commercial or residential building with multiple offices or apartments. See BLEC. (2) (Multiply-Divide Unit) A high-speed circuit that performs multiplication and division within the CPU. perform the segmentation and re-assembly function of translating Ethernet frames from the DSLAM (DSL Access Multiplexor) A central office (CO) device for ADSL service that intermixes voice traffic and DSL traffic onto a customer's DSL line. It also separates incoming phone and data signals and directs them onto the appropriate carrier's network. See DSL. into ATM traffic and forwarding it upstream to the hub site for further aggregation. This design offers superior performance because there is only one router hop between the individual subscriber and the Internet. It also provides for flexibility, expansion and carrier-class QoS for current and future broadband applications. Since 1998, ReFlex Communications has been using its local telephone company bypass network technologies to offer cost-attractive, business-quality broadband services to residential customers living in multi-dwelling housing units who are unable to access high-speed fiber optic lines due to location or economic restraints. Alcatel's OmniAccess 408 Alcatel's OmniAccess 408 is an eight-port 10/100 switch with 2 ports of circuit emulation and one of three ATM uplink options (4 ports of T1 with IMA (Interactive Multimedia Association, Annapolis, MD) An earlier trade association founded in 1988 originally as the Interactive Video Industry Association. It provided an open process for adopting existing technologies and was involved in subjects such as networked services, scripting , 2 Ports DS3 or 1 Port OC3) that offers scalable, multi-service access to an ATM backbone. With the integration of LAN switching
LAN switching is a form of packet switching used in local area networks. Switching technologies are crucial to network design, or to that minority of LANs that are used outside the home. , WAN routing, voice over ATM, and service level management capabilities in a single platform, the OmniAccess 408 is the ideal next generation multi-service access solution. Alcatel's OmniSwitch Alcatel's OmniSwitch is an advanced, multi-layer switching platform providing integrated LAN (Local Area Network) A communications network that serves users within a confined geographical area. The "clients" are the user's workstations typically running Windows, although Mac and Linux clients are also used. and ATM switching, WAN connectivity, high-speed routing, virtual LANs, and IP firewalls. Designed for scalability and performance, network managers can buy the capabilities they need in the OmniSwitch and migrate to next-generation technologies when they are ready. About ReFlex Communications Inc. ReFlex Communications Inc., based in Seattle, is a leading provider of high-speed broadband Internet services to residents of apartment and condominium communities throughout the United States. The company currently has offices and is providing Internet service and support to customers in markets including Seattle, Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. , Orange County, San Diego San Diego (săn dēā`gō), city (1990 pop. 1,110,549), seat of San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay; inc. 1850. San Diego includes the unincorporated communities of La Jolla and Spring Valley. Coronado is across the bay. , Phoenix, Tucson, Denver, Portland, Atlanta, San Jose San Jose, city, United States San Jose (sănəzā`, săn hōzā`), city (1990 pop. 782,248), seat of Santa Clara co., W central Calif.; founded 1777, inc. 1850. , San Francisco San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden , Silicon Valley, Chicago, Washington D.C., Orlando and Dallas. Its advanced hybrid fixed wireless/fiber optic network "ReFlexNet(SM)" allows the company to connect directly from the resident's premises into a high-speed fiber-optic backbone, bypassing local Internet choke points In military strategy, a choke point (or chokepoint) is a geographical feature (such as a valley or defile) which forces an army to go into a narrower formation (greatly decreasing combat power) in order to pass through it. . Service features include symmetrical broadband Internet access Broadband Internet access, often shortened to just "broadband", is high speed Internet access—typically contrasted with dial-up access over modem. Dial-up modems are generally only capable of a maximum bitrate of 56 kbit/s (kilobits per second) and require the full use of a , e-mail accounts, personal Web page hosting, back-up services, professional installation, and help-desk support 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For additional information on ReFlex Communications, go to http://www.reflexcomm.com. About Alcatel Alcatel builds next generation networks, delivering integrated end-to-end voice and data networking solutions to established and new carriers, as well as enterprises and consumers worldwide. With 120,000 employees and sales of EURO 23 billion in 1999, Alcatel operates in more than 130 countries. For more information, visit Alcatel on the Internet: http//www.alcatel.com |
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