MENLO PARK, Calif., Aug. 17, 1992 -- Cisco Systems and BellAtlantic Network Integration , a division of Bell Atlantic IntegratedSystems, Inc., have signed a marketing agreement wherein Cisco hasbeen named a preferred router supplier for the new value-added networksystems integration business unit of Bell Atlantic.

With this agreement, Cisco joins other industry leaders, suchas Novell, Banyan Systems, Cabletron, SynOptics Communications, andOracle, as suppliers of key building block networking technologies forBell Atlantic's growing network integration business.

"We feel that bundling value-added service and integrationtogether with in-depth knowledge of the leading networking andinternetworking technology suppliers will allow us to best meet theneeds of our customers," said Richard Mace, chief operating officerfor Bell Atlantic Network Integration. "Cisco's preeminent technologyand market position, combined with Bell Atlantic's technical presenceand support, have already allowed us to successfully work together ona number of integration opportunities."

"The agreement with Bell Atlantic for network systemsintegration was appealing to Cisco for a number of reasons," said JohnChambers, senior vice president of Cisco Systems. "First, theirapproach of teaming with industry leaders nicely complemented ourprogram of partnering with leading telecommunications providersworldwide. Second, by naming Cisco as a preferred router technology,they will be able to learn the capabilities of our products on anin-depth basis and, combined with their other product offerings fornetwork integration, allow them to truly offer new services tocustomers throughout the United States."

Bell Atlantic Network Integration, headquartered in Frazer,Penn., provides broad-based, high-value, network integrated solutions,including product integration, implementation, consulting, educationand support services. Bell Atlantic Integrated Systems, Inc. providescross-industry software solutions, in addition to enterprise-widenetwork integration solutions.

Bell Atlantic Corporation, based in Philadelphia, is theparent company of operating telephone companies in the Mid-Atlantic.largest cellular carriers and of companies that providebusiness systems services for customer-based information technologyand financial services, throughout the U.S. and internationally. Inaddition, Bell Atlantic International offers network services andconsulting to telephone authorities throughout the world and, inconjunction with Ameritech, owns a majority interest in TelecomCorporation of New Zealand.

Cisco Systems, Inc., is the leading worldwide supplier ofhigh-performance, multimedia and multiprotocol internetworkingproducts, including routers, bridges, terminal servers and routermanagement software. Cisco technology can be used to buildenterprise-wide networks linking an unlimited number of geographicallydispersed LANs, WANs, and IBM internetworks. Cisco is publicly tradedin the United States over-the-counter under the NASDAQ symbol CSCO.