Westford, Massachusetts-based Cascade Communications Corp last week announced two products, claiming industry firsts for both. The company says it has developed the first Channelised DS3 multiservice access module – designed for use with its B-STDX multi-service switch family – and also revealed what it says is the first T3/E3 Frame Relay access device. The Channelized DS3 module is being pitched at public carriers and Internet service providers, and is said to support Frame Relay, Asynchronous Transfer Mode including the ATM Frame User Network Interface, and Switched Multi-megabit Data Services. In total, it is said to provide for deployment of up to 28 1.54Mbps T1 lines on a single port, and up to 392 per switch. It is manageable via the company’s Virtual Network Navigator management software. Cascade is releasing the product in a phased approach: this month, it will ship Phase 1 with support for Frame Relay and ATM Optimum Trunking. The full range of multiservice support will be introduced by the end of the year. The one-port Channelized DS3 module will cost $75,000. The T3/E3 – 45Mbps/34Mbps – implementation is based on the Frame Relay Forum’s new FRF .1.1 standard for running Frame Relay at those speeds. The new standard is a modification to the Forum’s existing User to Network Interface Implementer’s Agreement, designed to cope with the higher speeds. Again, the new high-speed module, which takes the form of a two-port High Speed Serial Interface input-output module, is designed for use with the B-STDX, and is to be pitched at Internet access providers, and data center applications. It is shipping now for $20,000.
