ComNet '98, Washington, D.C. -- January 27, 1998 -- Ashton Communications Corporation, provider of the AcNet network, today announced that it is delivering a wide array of internetworking services based on the Cisco MC3810 multiservice access concentrator and has engaged in the largest single deployment of the product to date.
AcNet built an Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) backbone to deliver voice, video, Frame Relay, LAN, Internet connectivity services and Virtual Private Network (VPN) capability to corporate and educational customers throughout Texas and Mexico. With this advanced network capabilty, AcNet needed a simple, cost-effective solution to put these advanced services in the hands of its customers. The Cisco MC3810 multiservice access concentrator provided AcNet with the means to deliver its advanced networking services through the deployment of a single device at the customer's location.
"The Cisco MC3810 was the natural extension of our ATM backbone," said R.S. Ashton, president of Ashton Communications Corporation. "With the deployment of a single box, a customer gains the full benefit of our ATM network. The Cisco MC3810 installed easily and allowed us to quickly introduce data, voice and video services to a wide range of customers."
MC3810 in Texas Schools
AcNet delivers advanced networking capabilities to the Texas schools by deploying the MC3810. AcNet provides the infrastructure to ESCONETT, the Region One Education Service Center wide-area network initiative that supplies Texas K-12 schools with advanced networking capabilities. ESCONETT currently offers services to 30 percent of Texas schoolchildren through six of 20 educational service centers that are members of ESCONETT. With an infrastructure that covers the majority of the state, the network provides high-bandwidth Internet access to schools and colleges; videoconferencing capabilities for distance learning; and high-speed networking services for communication among schools. Earlier this month, President Clinton visited Mission High School in Mission, Texas, where he received a demonstration of the network and the benefits it brings to the educational environment.
AcNet Offers Networking Packages to Businesses
The versatility of the Cisco MC3810, gives AcNet the ability to offer several customizable networking solutions to business customers. AcNet offers the following packages to bring the latest, multiservice solutions to business through simple, turnkey packages:
- AcOne. AcNet uses the Cisco MC3810 to deliver VPNs to corporate customers in the United States, Mexico and Europe.
- AcPac. AcNet offers Frame Relay services with the Cisco MC3810 in the Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) mode.
- AcCell. AcNet delivers raw ATM transport with the MC3810 at the customer's site.
Cisco MC3810 Seamlessly Integrates Data, Voice and Video
The Cisco MC3810 is the newest member of the Cisco MC3800 series of multiservice access concentrators. It combines Cisco IOS software routing functionality with compressed, switched voice and clear channel video across popular Frame Relay and ATM services. The MC3810 connects to any standard private branch exchange (PBX) or videoconferencing system and is interoperable with all other Cisco internetworking devices.
Using voice compression, the MC3810 transports voice across enterprise infrastructures at a fraction of the bandwidth and cost of traditional multiplexers or Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) switches. The MC3810, which operates on facilities from 56 kilobits per second (kbps) to 2.048 megabits per second (Mbps), provides maximum flexibility and investment protection as networking requirements grow.
"Cisco MC3810 customers are reaping the full promise of advanced multiservice networking capability," said Peter Alexander, executive director of marketing for Cisco's Multiservice Access Business Unit. "AcNet's use of the Cisco MC3810 is an excellent example of a service provider bringing advanced services to market before its competition through the use of Cisco's versatile access concentrator."
AcNet also selected the Cisco BPX switch to build an ATM backbone that could support current customer needs and scale to meet future increases in demand. The Cisco BPX switch is a powerful broadband, carrier-class ATM switch designed to meet the demanding, high-traffic needs of public service providers or large private enterprises.
About AcNet/Ashton Communications Corporation
Established in 1994, Ashton Communications Corporation is the premier supplier of networking services to Texas and Mexico via its network, AcNet. AcNet offers high-end networking services, including ATM-based services for private networking, as well as high-bandwidth Internet, dialup and dedicated access services. Ashton Communications Corporation is a member of The Ashton Group, a systems integration and telecommunications service provider since 1981.
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