MENLO PARK, Calif., December 16, 1993 -- Cisco Systems and CascadeCommunications Corporation today announced a worldwide agreement in whichCisco and Cascade will jointly develop a multiservice WAN solution for thetelecommunications marketplace based on combined Cisco and Cascadetechnology. For the first time, carriers worldwide will have a unifiedplatform that delivers IP, OSI, Frame Relay, SMDS and ATM networking withthe functionality, reliability and performance needed by public networks.
Under the agreement, Cisco and Cascade will jointly market Cascade'sproducts to service providers worldwide. Cisco may, where appropriate,provide a single service point for the combined products. In addition,Cisco will license the Internet Protocol (IP) and Open Systems Interconnect(OSI), routing technology modules of Cisco's
The financial terms of the three-year agreement were not disclosed.
Carriers and PTTs are looking for flexibility in the WAN solutions theyprovide to their customers. At the same time, they need to maximize thereturn from their investment in switching technology. They cannot afford todeploy and maintain separate systems for IP and OSI routing; Frame Relay;SMDS and ATM switching. The Cascade and Cisco combination provides the besttechnology from each company into a single solution for all carriermultimedia service needs.
The unique combination of Cisco's proven routing technology andCascade's demonstrated carrier competence will benefit public serviceproviders grappling with the complexities of implementing and maintaininglarge router-based networks as well as provide the foundation for carriersto supply the multiplicity of services being demanded by customers. Thistechnology and support partnership will provide carriers with the powerneeded for the next decade of internetworking growth.
In addition, the Cisco and Cascade solution provides a standards-basedplatform, allowing carriers to provide powerful, yet open, networks.
"Progressive service providers will offer multiple services using thesame physical infrastructure, particularly in the access network," said EdKozel, Cisco's vice president of business development. "Cisco can best meetthe needs of the access switch market through partnerships. Cascade alreadyprovides a powerful integrated SMDS, Frame Relay and ATM multiservice WANSwitch that meets the needs of the demanding central office environment."
"Today carriers are demanding the 'best of class' solution for each oftheir networking needs and are unwilling to give up or forego functionalrichness for a modicum of integration," stated Dan Smith, president andCEO of Cascade Communications. "The emerging market for public IP and OSIinternetworking services is key to the future of the access switch market.Cisco provides the internetworking capabilities of choice with thefunctionality and scalability needed by the service providers. When theychoose the combined Cisco and Cascade product, carriers make no compromisesto get the best router and the best multiservice WAN switch in onepackage."
[an error occurred while processing this directive] Cascade Communications Corporation, headquartered in Westford,Massachusetts, is a high-growth, worldwide supplier of Multiservice WANSwitch products and services, utilizing Frame Relay, SMDS, and ATM tointegrate data, voice, and video for today's LAN/WAN interconnect needs.Cascade leads the industry in offering both public carriers and privatenetwork providers innovative solutions for high-performance WAN services.Large end-users, Regional Bell Operating Companies, Inter-ExchangeCarriers, Competitive Access Providers, and International PTTs are amongCascade's installed customer base. Founded in 1990 by an experienced teamof data communications professionals, Cascade is funded by a prestigiousgroup of venture capital firms.
