Frame Relay allows multiple applications and users to share the same access line and customer premises equipment (CPE) port, reducing costs significantly. To further increase efficiencies, Frame Relay allows unlimited PVC-to-port oversubscription. Performance is also enhanced as data is allowed to burst continuously, up to the full access port speed, at no extra charge.

Our carrier's flexible, usage-based pricing options offer economy and efficiency not possible using dedicated lines or slower speed packet services. You only pay for the bandwidth you use. This feature makes more economical use of access facilities versus paying for expensive idle lines.

A permanent virtual circuit is a software-defined communications path between two ports. Our carrier's Frame Relay Service offers three types of PVC rate options:

• Fixed Committed Information Rate (CIR)

• Usage CIR

• Zero CIR

Fixed CIR PVCs allow for unlimited usage and are priced at a flat monthly rate based upon bandwidth required. A unique industry capability, Usage CIR PVCs are similar to Fixed CIR PVCs in performance characteristics, but are priced based upon the actual amount of data transmitted. Zero CIR PVCs are also charged on a usage basis, but without defined CIR levels. Frame Relay Service can be extended to link international locations through Concert Frame Relay Service, available in 28 countries.

The local access circuit can be provided with the following options:

• 56/64 Kbps - DDS or Hubless Type

• 1.5 Mbps - Full T1

• Nx56 or Nx64 Kbps - Fractional T1

Switched 56/64 Kbps - Switched Digital Access, Digital Data Service, ISDN Basic Rate Interface (BRI), or ISDN Primary Rate Interface (PRI), and Asynchronous and X.25.

Our carrier provides usage, fixed, and Zero CIR based pricing for your WAN requirements.

Burst up to 100% of your port speed, meaning with a 256KB connection you can burst up to 512KB. Use Frame Relay for all of the below mentioned service types:

• Domestic and International Connectivity

• WAN/LAN Networks

Normally costs 30% less than Private Lines with bursting capability.

• Internet Connection

56KB to 1054KB access

• X.400 Connectivity for your SECURE Email Requirements

Send Email, Internet, Telex, Overnite Letters from your X.400 Gateway. Our carrier has extended the accessibility of the XChange 400 message switching service by offering TCP/IP access over the our carrier's Frame Relay Network as a standard access transport option, in addition to our carrier's current X.25 support. This new access offers you with 20 times the connectivity speed at 1/10 of the cost of X.25 transport pricing.

• Remote LAN Access

GREAT for high number of remote users dialing into your LAN. Our carrier provides 800 access up to 28.8 to our Remote LAN Gateway which connects via your Frame Relay connection. Lines are available in groups of 16 up to 256 ports! This service reduces your cost of hardware and support at your site.

• Voice Over Frame Relay

With the proper router, you can utilize your frame relay connection for intra office voice communications. REDUCE YOUR LONG DISTANCE EXPENDITURES with Voice over Frame.

• EDI access from Frame Relay Network

Send and receive your Electronic Commerce files through the EDI Network which can be access from your Frame Relay connection.

ATM Services

For extremely high speed requirements you should look at the benefits of ATM. ATM provides connectivity above DS-3 levels.

SMDS Services

Switched Multi-megabit Data Service (SMDS) is a high-speed, packet-switched datagram service which gives users high-performance bandwidth "on demand" or on a "pay-as-you-go" basis to link local area networks over a wide area. One of the newest public network technologies shaping the data networkworld, SMDS is a switched "connectionless" datagram service, requiring no pre-assigned physical or logical routing path through a network. Addressing and routing information is contained in the data packets. This provides more flexible connectivity than private networks which typically operate on a point-to-point basis.

SMDS allows access speeds from 56 kilobits per second to 45 megabits per second and enables communications to take place simultaneously among multiple locations. With ATM and SONET interfaces, higher access speeds will also be possible.

Typical business applications of SMDS include business imaging (insurance, real estate, publishing), medical (X-Ray, EKG, or high resolution images), computer-aided design/manufacturing, financial processing (checks), and scientific visualization applications.

• Access speeds at 64, 128, 256, 384, 512, 768 (Kbps), 1.024, 1.5, 4.0, 10.0, 16.0, 25.0, 34.0 and 45.0 (Mbps). Our carrier's Digital Gateway offering allows integration of dedicated T-1 and T-3 access for transmission of both voice and data across the same access link.

• Gateway access to and from local exchange carriers providing SMDS services is available through eXchange Access-SMDS (XA-SMDS). XA-SMDS offers speeds of 64 Kpbs, 1.5 Mbps, 4 Mbps, 10 Mbps, 16 Mbps, 25 Mbps, and 34 Mbps.

• Direct access to and from HyperStream SMDS from the customer premise is offered through the Data eXchange Interface (DXI) at speeds of 64, 128, 256, 384, 512, 768, 1024 (Kbps), 1.5, and 45 (Mbps).

• Capped usage-sensitive pricing based on delivered megabytes.

• Availability from over 390 access points nationwide.

• The latest switching technology utilizing a 53 byte cell standard which allows simple interworking and an easy migration path to ATM.