ASCOM TIMEPLEX SHIPPING FIRST SYNCHRONY SYSTEMS

ST-50's Express Switching Lays Foundation for Consolidating Data, Voice and Video

WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J., February 27, 1995 -- Ascom Timeplex today began shipping the first product in its expanding Synchrony family to offer Express Switching, an industry-leading dynamic bandwidth management technology. The Synchrony ST-50 multi-service switching and transport system redefines backbone networking with its superior bandwidth management capabilities.

For access and transport, the Synchrony ST-50's "super-hybrid" networking provides a powerful tool for taking advantage of tariffs while preserving the security and flexibility of a private network. Large corporations can easily integrate the private frame and circuit switching services of their Synchrony network with public frame and circuit switched services. In addition, Ascom Timeplex's unique Express Switching technology dynamically mixes constant-bit-rate and variable-bit-rate traffic over internodal links to offer the most efficient use of bandwidth available today.

"The availability of the ST-50 marks a significant milestone in Ascom Timeplex's continuing evolution to provide leading-edge networking technology for public and private network infrastructures," said Randy Phillips, president and COO of Ascom Timeplex. "As the first Synchrony product to incorporate the benefits of Express Switching, the ST-50 sets the course for future products in this line."

The ST-50 is designed to efficiently handle Nx64/56 kbps (circuit) and frame relay/HDLC (packet) channels, offering up to 160 Mbps of switching capacity. The system transports traffic over framed facilities operating at T1/E1 and fractional rates as well as over unframed facilities and serial data connections also operating at NxDS0 rates. Low-speed connections are provided by an optional subrate capability.

The modular architecture of the Synchrony ST-50 scales to meet changing application and capacity requirements. Using Server Modules, the ST-50 allows the flexible deployment of services that match the appropriate switching technology to the applications being supported and the carrier/PTT service being used. And because server and interface modules are independent of each other, the ST-50 can cost-effectively channel processed traffic from one or more servers to one or more interface ports.

Express Switching

Wide area bandwidth is one of the largest recurring costs in any network. Ascom Timeplex's advanced Express Switching ensures maximum bandwidth efficiency by responding dynamically to an organization's varying bandwidth requirements. Network managers now have a cost-effective way to meet real-world bandwidth demands, with cost savings for large corporations and emerging carriers that can easily reach more than $1 million annually.

With Express Switching, delay-sensitive, constant-bit-rate traffic (such as switched voice or video) and frame-based, variable-bit-rate data (such as bursty LAN internetworking traffic and delay-sensitive SNA traffic) are each allocated a guaranteed minimum portion of the available bandwidth on internodal links. Express Switching then dynamically assigns the remaining unreserved, or "breathable," bandwidth to either bursty variable-bit-rate traffic that exceeds its normal bandwidth allotment, or to increased constant-bit-rate traffic caused by unexpected voice calling patterns or a failed link. In addition, Express Switching provides bandwidth for constant-bit-rate traffic only when a session is actually active. As a result, Express Switching ensures the minimal requirements for both types of traffic are met while unused bandwidth is made available to meet varying network demands.

The Synchrony Family

The Synchrony product family includes access and backbone devices offering frame relay, TDM, LAN and low bit rate voice through native support for both frame and circuit traffic to give large corporations and emerging service providers the ability to build reliable, cost-effective, integrated public, private and hybrid networks.

Synchrony platforms include a number of reliability features designed in, such as redundant, distributed nodal intelligence, load-sharing power supplies, automatic alternate routing, ten levels of connection priorities, three levels of frame delivery priority and automatic discovery of network topology. By enabling all data and voice traffic to be consolidated onto one backbone, Synchrony products eliminate parallel networks and simplify network management to significantly reduce operating costs. And Synchrony's broad support for WAN services, both switched and leased, provide the flexibility to take advantage of public services.

ST-50 Components and Pricing

The Synchrony ST-50 is available now through Ascom Timeplex's worldwide sales force. The 17-slot (14 available) ST-50 chassis and controller starts at a base price of $20,500, and is expandable up to a total of four chassis (59 slots). The ST-50 accepts standard Synchrony interface cards, including a serial data card for $4000, a PBX server card for $9500 and a frame relay server card for $8000. An ATM card will be available later this year.

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