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Welcome to another issue of RAD at a Glance, the newsletter from RAD Data Communications about developments in the communications industry.

ACCESS TRENDS

MPLS is on the Move

Public Internet-focused IP networks are low cost and ubiquitous, but the best-effort nature of the technology limits IP in terms of commercial applications. Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) technology was developed to enhance IP networks first and foremost with traffic engineering capabilities. MPLS also adds Quality of Service, making IP/MPLS infrastructure more practical for business applications.

Multiservice over MPLS
Today MPLS networks are used mainly for implementation of IP-centric services as IP VPNs. However, there is demand for multiple - especially Layer 2/Layer 1 - services over IP/MPLS, such as Ethernet, ATM, Frame Relay, voice and leased line services. Multiservice over IP/MPLS will enhance the profitability and attractiveness to service providers of deploying an MPLS network. End users will benefit from cheaper services while service providers will gain economies of scale and maintain legacy services.

Extending MPLS Beyond the Network Core
With support of multiple services, MPLS is spreading out of the core to the network edge and even to the customer premises, to provide service monitoring and traffic engineering end-to-end across the network. Different "flavors" of MPLS with such distributed architecture are emerging.

Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS), for example, is an MPLS-based service that provides any-to-any connectivity in a Layer 2 Ethernet VPN, enabling customers to extend their local networks to geographically dispersed sites. Customers connect to a simple emulated Ethernet network rather than to a more complex IP network and retain full control over routing.

MPLS Standardization

The MPLS/Frame Relay Alliance is an industry-wide association focused on advancing the deployment of multi-vendor MPLS networks and associated applications. RAD is an active member of the Alliance and, in particular, led the development of two Implementation Agreements (IAs) related to TDM and voice transmission over MPLS: IA 4.0 "TDM transport over MPLS" and IA 5.0 "Voice Trunking over MPLS." RAD was the first vendor to conform to the IAs. Compliant with IA 4.0, RAD's new TDMoMPLS ASIC (and ASIC-based products) enables offering private line TDM services such as n x 64 kbps, E1, T1, E3 and T3, while RAD's Vmux line of voice trunking gateways allows the transfer of compressed voice over a converged IP/MPLS backbone according to IA 5.0.
Read the TDMoMPLS, IA 4.0 press release
Read the Voice trunking over MPLS, IA 5.0 press release

By offering the first products based on the Alliance's standard implementations, RAD has taken the lead in helping carriers build their new legacy over MPLS solutions and is currently working with carriers to achieve this goal. At ITU Telecom World 2003 held October in Geneva, ITU TelecomTV interviewed RAD's Director of Business Development about the future of MPLS.
View the interview

GENERAL NEWS

RAD Data Communications Listed Among World's Most Recognized Vendors

RAD Data Communications earned top vendor recognition in Heavy Reading's 2003 Telecom Equipment Market Perception Survey, the largest market perception survey of its kind ever undertaken. Out of a total of 304 different telecom equipment vendors, which included industry giants Cisco, Nortel, Lucent and others, RAD Data Communications ranked in the top 8 in terms of brand awareness (8th in North America, 7th in Europe and 5th in Asia/Pacific). Read the report

RAD Opens New Offices in Australia and Russia

RAD is pleased to announce that it has opened new offices in Australia and Russia, to cater to its growing markets in those regions.

SUCCESS STORIES

RAD Wins the Greek Lottery

Greek incumbent operator OTE is deploying thousands of RAD packet switching devices to facilitate fast connectivity of lottery machines over a nationwide data network.
Full story

Offshore Call Center Improves Voice Quality and Reduces Line Costs

Vocalcom, a leading provider of solutions for international call centers, has deployed RAD Data Communications' Vmux-2100 voice trunking gateway with compressed voice to improve performance of E1 lines between Paris and a Casablanca call center. Vocalcom also benefited from reduced leased line costs, since Vmux-2100 multiplexes 16 E1 lines onto a single E1 link.
Full story

NEW PRODUCT

Hybrid Voice and LAN Connectivity in the 5 GHz License-Free Spectrum

RAD's AirMux line of wireless multiplexers delivers TDM and Ethernet traffic in the 5 GHz license-free spectrum. It is a perfect solution for point-to-point applications that call for rapid deployment or a temporary hook-up, especially in areas where wireline links are expensive or non-existent. The FCC-compliant AirMux-104 operates at frequencies of 5.725-5.850 GHz, while the ETSI-compliant AirMux-106 operates at frequencies of 5.470-5.725 GHz, or Band B.
More product details

WHAT'S NEW ON-LINE

New Foreign Language and Local Web Sites

RAD now offers online information in Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. RAD also offers four Web sites in English, catering to different locales: International, Australia, UK and USA.
RAD's local Web sites

Sincerely,
Shari Ingerman
Senior Editor, RAD Data Communications