Industry's first ADSL WAN card for business-class router platforms allows users to take advantage of the high speed and low cost of ADSL

BOSTON, Mass., Sept. 18, 2000 -- Cisco Systems, Inc., the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet, today announced the Cisco ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) WAN Interface Card (WIC) for the Cisco 1700 series, with support in the first quarter of 2001 for the Cisco 2600 and 3600 series of modular access routers. This is the industry's first ADSL WAN card for business-class router platforms that lets users take advantage of the high speed and low cost of ADSL compared to more costly access methods such as T1 or leased lines. Small to medium-sized businesses and small branch offices who use the Cisco 1700, as well as enterprise branch offices that use the Cisco 2600 and Cisco 3600 modular access routers can now use the ADSL WIC for high-speed access with support for New World services such as integrated firewall, VPNs (virtual private networks), and integration of voice, video and data.

"As more businesses deploy New World applications, the need increases for a flexible, yet cost-effective way to deliver secure high-speed access for multimedia applications and voice/data integration. By using the Cisco ADSL WAN Interface Card, businesses of all sizes can rely on business-class DSL to ensure they can take advantage of the Internet and applications that will help them run successful companies," said Patti Kelly, vice president of Marketing at Pathnet, a telecommunications company based in Reston, VA. "For the first time, end-to-end business DSL is possible from SOHO customers to the enterprise-level branch office without compromise."

Cisco ADSL WIC & Business-Class Routers Deliver Secure, Multiservice Access in a Flexible Solution

In conjunction with the Cisco 1700, 2600 and 3600 modular access routers, the new Cisco ADSL WAN Interface Card provides a modular solution with business-class functionality and affordable DSL access. All three hardware platforms provide business-class DSL features including enhanced business-class security, integrated toll-quality voice, quality-of-service features for differentiated classes of service, and Cisco IOS manageability and reliability.

The Cisco 1700 Series and ADSL WIC provide an optimum solution for small-to-medium businesses and small branch offices. For enterprise branch office customers using the Cisco 2600 and 3600 modular access routers, the Cisco ADSL WIC will allow them for the first time to leverage existing WAN equipment with affordable ADSL access.

"By extending the reach of DSL to the enterprise, service providers have the opportunity to develop CPE revenue with a new market segment, while enterprise customers can use DSL as an affordable high-speed alternative to existing WAN access services--such as T1 and leased lines--to further reduce the overall costs of their wide-area networks," said Brad Baldwin, an industry analyst with IDC.

The Cisco 1700, Cisco 2600, and Cisco 3600 modular access routers provide business-class features such as security with an integrated stateful firewall, VPNs with software and hardware-based encryption, support for voice, and data integration for inter-office phone traffic.

All three platforms provide a flexible architecture with investment protection for future services with the ability to change or upgrade software and hardware configurations. In addition, the platforms can support WAN back up and load sharing with an additional WAN link using ADSL, T1, ISDN, ATM (Cisco 2600 and 3600 series) or Frame Relay.

Pricing and Availability

The Cisco ADSL WAN Interface Card is expected to be available for the Cisco 1700 modular access router in September 2000, and is planned to be available for the Cisco 2600 and Cisco 3600 modular access routers in the first quarter of 2001. The Cisco ADSL Interface Card will have a U.S. list price starting at $750. In addition, Cisco will offer two bundled offerings of the ADSL WAN Interface Card with the Cisco 1700 Series Router. The Cisco 1720 Series Router with the Cisco ADSL WAN Interface Card will have a U.S. list price of $1,695, while the Cisco 1750 Series Router with the Cisco ADSL WAN Interface Card will have a U.S. list price of $1,995.