FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 16, 1997 "Always On" ISDN E-Mail And "Push Technology" Open Connection Now A Reality For Telecommuters ISDN Technology leaders line up in support of D-Channel Breakthrough, Pacific Bell to demonstrate technology at ISDN World [EDITOR'S NOTE: "Always On" Pacific Bell/Jetstream D-Channel demos will be on display June 19 & 20 at the Pacific Bell ISDN World booth (#124)] SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- Pacific Bell, Southwestern Bell, BellSouth and The Vendors' ISDN Association, Inc. (VIA), today announced a telecommuter breakthrough, D-Channel "Always On/DYNAMIC ISDN" (AO/DI), an Internet and Intranet connection that facilitates real-time exchange of e-mail and delivery of push services using a "Virtual Connection". "Always On" is currently going through Beta testing and is in various stages of development by VIA members and other service providers. Building upon the feature rich ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) service, which permits simultaneous voice, data, video and E-mail on a single ISDN connection, D-Channel "Always On" offers a cost-effective way of maintaining a real-time link without having a "dial-up" connection to the corporate network or ISP. "Always On" is targeted at telecommuters, remote workers and independent professionals that need to be "continuously connected" to the Internet or LAN so they can exchange E-mail and data. This technology opens up a new delivery avenue for information providers who need to constantly update a client with the latest stock quote or news headlines. It also fosters new meeting forums such as virtual on-line conferences. How it Works "Always On" uses the packet data capability that is an integral part of the ISDN international standard. Over the "D" (signaling) channel of the ISDN line, the user establishes a packet connection to a remote LAN or an Internet Service Provider. This bi-directional connection is created by a user when he logs on to his work-at-home computer and e-mail package. Once the connection is established, the user is on-line and can exchange packets with the remote network as required -- to send and receive e-mail, for example. When there is more information to transfer than can be handled by the 16 Kbps packet connection, a circuit-switched connection (telephone call) is placed using one or both of the ISDN "B" channels. This connection can be made automatically and without user intervention, and permits data to move at speeds up to 128 Kbps (512 Kbps with compression). Once the data transfer is complete, the circuit-switched connection is dropped and the user remains on-line via the D-Channel. For example, when a user receives an E-mail message with a lengthy file attachment, the initial notification of the E-mail will come via the D-Channel. To transfer the large attached file, a B-channel connection is initiated automatically. When the file transfer is complete, the B-channel call ends. "This technology breakthrough is extremely hot and truly highlights the flexibility provided by ISDN," said Tom Bayless, director switched digital services for Pacific Bell. "This new capability provides remote workers all of the same advantages that a main office PC provides -- advanced voice capability, fax, high speed data and automatic e-mail notification. "Network managers will also appreciate this approach since telecommuters will only be connected while e-mail is being exchanged," added John Flower, director of data transport for Southwestern Bell. This initiative is supported by Pacific Bell, Southwestern Bell and BellSouth. Seventeen members of VIA - 3Com, ADTRAN, Ascend Communications, Bay Networks, BinTec Communications, Cisco Systems, Eicon Technology, Intel, ITK Telecommunications, Jetstream Communications, Motorola, Shiva, Telenetworks, TELES, U.S. Robotics, Virtual Access, and ZyXEL have committed to providing support for AO/DI. VIA members will work with the North American ISDN Users' Forum's (NIUF) newly-formed AO/DI Ad Hoc Group and with the National ISDN Council (NIC) to advance the implementation process for "Always On" applications. "D Channel 'Always On' is a key enabler for ISDN. This enhancement to the service has the potential to solve in large part two issues: 1) ISDN usage fees and 2) Congestion of the local network. D-channel Always On will provide the end user full time connectivity for e-mail and push technologies similar to what they receive in the office at a potentially lower cost basis. Capabilities such as this will reinforce ISDN's long term position in the mass data services market," said Brett Azuma, director and principal analyst, Dataquest. "VIA proposed 'Always On' as a win/win/win scenario for the end user, the service provider, and CPE vendors last September," said Deepak Kamlani, executive director of VIA. "As a group we are excited about seeing AO/DI come to fruition so quickly and applaud the work of all the stake holders who are making this possible. With its rollout we believe we will have helped solve a key issue for telecommuters and others who rely on e-mail and remote access to corporate networks to do their business. We look forward to helping deploy AO/DI for similar applications, like news feeds, credit card verification and other low bandwidth applications." Availability of ISDN in Participating Regions ISDN is now available in 97% of California and virtually 100% of Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas. More than 85% of Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida and Kentucky regions are also covered. D Channel "Always On" is currently going through CPE testing using the Pacific Bell network and is in various stages of development by VIA members. VIA members anticipate that equipment will be available in Q4 1997. About the Vendors ISDN Association VIA is a non-profit California-based corporation dedicated to enhancing, simplifying and making ISDN more accessible to businesses and individual users. VIA's members represent 25 corporations from 4 countries and include 3Com, ADTRAN, Ascend Communications, AT&T, Bay Networks, BinTec Communications GmbH, Cisco Systems, Digi International, Eicon Technology, Hermstedt GmbH, Intel, ITK Telecommunications, Jetstream Communications, Microsoft, Motorola, Rockwell International, SAGEM, Shiva, SMC, Telenetworks, TELES, U.S. Robotics, VideoServer, Virtual Access, and ZyXEL Communications. Additional information on VIA initiatives, members, and upcoming events is available at www.via-isdn.org . About Pacific Bell and Southwestern Bell Pacific Bell and Southwestern Bell are companies of SBC Communications Inc., an international leader in the telecommunications industry, with more than 31 million access lines and 4.7 million wireless customers across the United States, as well as investments in telecommunications businesses in nine countries. Under the Southwestern Bell, Pacific Bell, Nevada Bell and Cellular One brands, the company, through its subsidiaries, offers a wide range of innovative services, including local and long-distance telephone service, wireless communications, paging, Internet access, cable TV and messaging, as well as telecommunications equipment, and directory advertising and publishing. SBC ( www.sbc.com ) has approximately 110,000 employees. SBC and Pacific Telesis Group reported combined 1996 revenues of $23.5 billion.