SUPERCOMM, Atlanta, GA -- June 9, 1998 -- Alcatel and Cisco Systems, Inc. announced today interoperability between Alcatel's IP@ATM solution and Cisco's Tag Switching. This interoperability will be demonstrated in Alcatel's booth June 7-11 at SUPERCOMM '98 in Atlanta, Georgia.
Alcatel and Cisco have been closely cooperating in several areas of development since their strategic agreement was announced a year ago. This development includes joint interoperability testing of Tag Switching on the Cisco 7200 and 7500 series routers and Alcatel's 1100 HSS Multiservice Switch. Tag Switching senables the direct application of IP to Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) switches, allowing service providers with ATM backbones to increase revenue through the delivery of value-added IP services to customers. Tag Switching incorporates the proven scalability of routing with the low cost of switching to support a variety of Layer 2 technologies over packet- or cell-based networks.
Alcatel's IP@ATM solution is an advanced switching feature of the carrier-class Alcatel 1100 HSS Multiservice Switch. It is based on Cisco IOS. software and Tag Switching technology and will fully comply with the Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) standard when it is ratified. By integrating Cisco IOS software, IP@ATM delivers an unparalleled IP feature set with Internet-tested reliability. IP@ATM enables up to 20 times greater network scalability, unprecedented support for quality-of-service (QoS) levels and high-speed, flexible service provisioning across large networks. 1-NET Singapore PTE Ltd., the world's first nationwide commercial ATM network, signed a memorandum of understanding on June 4, 1998, to conduct field trials of IP@ATM.
"Alcatel's relationship with Cisco has been important in quickly bringing IP@ATM advantages to our customers," said Edward Kennedy, vice president of marketing for Alcatel's Enterprise and Data Networks Division. "With IP@ATM, Alcatel has been able to accelerate the incorporation of important Internet features into our carrier-class 1100 HSS Multiservice Switch. We are seeing a great demand from our telco customers globally because they realize that with IP@ATM, they can offer advanced, differentiated IP services and guaranteed service-level agreements."
"This interoperability demonstration results from the close collaboration between Cisco and Alcatel to bring Tag Switching solutions to market," said Tom Downey, director of product marketing for Cisco's Routed WAN Business Unit. "By working together, we are accelerating our mutual goal of achieving industry-wide, multivendor interoperability for IP and ATM integration through the MPLS standard."
Tag Switching is shipping and is supported on the Cisco 7500 and 7200 series routers with Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, packet-over-SONET, high-speed serial interface (HSSI) and ATM interfaces.
About Alcatel
Alcatel designs, manufactures, and markets complete telecommunications systems. Activities include fixed switching networks, transmission systems, access systems, mobile communications infrastructure, business networking, submarine cable networks, as well as radio communications, space, and defense systems. With operations in more than 130 countries, Alcatel is a leading-edge supplier in the majority of its businesses. In 1997, the Telecom segment of Alcatel Alsthom registered total sales of $14.2 billion (FF 82.9 billion).
A white paper which fully describes the features and benefits of Alcatel's IP@ATM solution is available at http://www.adn.alcatel.com.
Cisco Systems
Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet. News and information are available at http://www.cisco.com.
Cisco, Cisco IOS, Cisco Systems, and the Cisco Systems logo are registered trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc. in the U.S. and certain other countries. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners.
IP@ATM is a trademark of Alcatel. HSS is a registered trademark of Alcatel.
