MENLO PARK, Calif., Nov. 30, 1992 -- Cisco Systems and British Telecom (BT) today announced that they have reachedan agreement to provide customers with a greater choice ofinternetworking solutions for today's multitude of complexcommunications networks.

Under the terms of the new partnership, BT will become aworldwide OEM supplier for Cisco's complete line ofinternetworking products, including the Cisco AGS+, MGS, CGS,IGS, 3000, and 4000 multiprotocol routers.

BT and Cisco Systems will work together to increaseconnectivity of existing and new wide area networks (WAN)services and improve network performance and support forcompanies working with IBM System Network Architecture (SNA)networks.

Chris Shaw, BT's general manager for Local Area Systems,said, "We recognize that customers' computing andcommunications needs vary considerably and differentbusinesses will adopt individual internetworking solutions.To ensure effective interoperability between differentnetworking domains, cooperation among the leading vendors isessential.

"This new alliance builds on BT's strategy to offercompanies enhanced quality of service backed by systems andproducts recognized as being some of the world's best."

To underline the strength of this new partnership, atthe TMA 25 exhibition (November 30 - December 2, Brighton,U.K.), BT is conducting a live interoperability demonstrationfor customers requiring an IBM integrated solution. The livedemonstration, using Cisco routers as well as othernetworking components, is based on BT's experience andexpertise in systems design, integration and networkmanagement.

In addition to forming an integral part of BT's LocalArea Systems product range, Cisco routers will be included inBT's Global Network Services (GNS) international frame relayportfolio. This will allow users operating a typical IBMscreen-based application to increase data transmission speedsover those currently provided by X.25 networks.

"This new partnership between British Telecom and Ciscocompletes a key component of Cisco's strategy to allyourselves with key industry and technology leadersworldwide," said John Chambers, senior vice president ofCisco Systems. "As one of the world's premiere suppliers ofcomplete data communications solutions, BT's decision toembrace Cisco's technology as a strategic element of theirproduct and service offerings reinforces the internationalacceptance of Cisco routers as the internetworking standard."

Background On BT and Cisco Agreement

The new partnership follows the use of Cisco routers inBT's Switched Multimegabit Data Service (SMDS) trial at theUniversity College London, which began in June this year.

Also, BT has joined Cisco in leading the Advanced Peer-to-Peer Internetworking (APPI) group with the aim ofproviding interconnection between SNA and non-SNA local areanetworks (LANs).

Background On the Demonstration At TMA 25

The live demonstration features the internetworking ofCisco routers, the StrataCom FastPacket IPX and Ungermann-Bass's Address/One networking hub. It is designed to achieveremote SNA access between the BT stand and an IBM mainframesituated in Buckinghamshire.

BT has connected two Token Ring LANs over a MegaStreamprivate circuit via the Cisco routers and the IPX using framerelay protocols. In turn, the LANs are cabled withcomponents of BT's Premises Cabling Services portfolio andalong with the routers are monitored by the NetDirectormanagement system. An Integrated Services Digital Network(ISDN) is also provided between the sites using twoterminals.

Cisco Systems, Inc., is the leading worldwide supplierof high-performance, multimedia and multiprotocolinternetworking products, including routers, bridges,communication servers and network management software. Ciscotechnology can be used to build enterprise-wide networkslinking an unlimited number of geographically dispersed LANs,WANs, and IBM SNA internetworks. In the United States, Ciscois traded over-the-counter under the NASDAQ symbol CSCO.