Cabletron breaks bandwidth barriers with new high-speed ATM interfaces

Cabletron Systems (NYSE: CS) announced a new set of

high-performance ATM interfaces for the company's SmartSwitch 9500 cell-switching

platform. These new modules provide ATM switching at OC-48 speeds to answer the

performance requirements of the most bandwidth-intensive networks for service providers,

large enterprises, and government agencies.

The new OC-48 interfaces deliver 2.5 Gbps of ATM switching

to enable Quality-of-Service (QoS) capabilities for voice, video, and data across Local

Area Networks (LANs), Wide Area Networks (WANs), and Metropolitan Area Networks

(MANs).

"Cabletron's addition of OC-48 capabilities allows Vitts to aggregate increased

bandwidth between our key switching facilities," said Vitts Networks Inc. Chairman

and CEO Chris Oliver, a Competitive Local Exchange Carrier (CLEC). "A capacity

increase of this magnitude will enable us to offer new streaming media services and voice

over IP to our subscribers."

The interfaces also reduce costs by connecting directly to

ATM "dark fiber," thereby avoiding costly SONET and SDH equipment such as

Add/Drop Multiplexers (ADMs). These ATM advancements further demonstrate Cabletron's

commitment to providing service providers and large enterprises with the foundations for

high-capacity networks.