Wall Street Journal, October 30, 1995, p. B3. Netcom to Use Smart Switches For the Internet By Audrey Choi Internet provider Netcom On-Line Communication Services Inc. said it will use high-speed network switches from Cascade Communicaffons Corp. in a move to upgrade the speed and flexibility of its Internet services. Netcom's decision represents a significant endorsement for Cascade, a small Westford, Mass.-based company whose revenues have soared along the rapid growth of the Internet. In addition to Netcom, Cascade also is supplying switching devices, which control the flow of information across a far-flung computer network, to UUNet Technologies Inc. and Performance Systems International Inc. To prepare for an expected rise in the number of users, networking analysts say the Internet needs to move toward a more efficient architecture based on high-speed intelligent switches, like Cascade's, which not only allow large volumes of data to be transmitted quickly, but also offer Internet service providers the ability to track and manage the data being transported. Brad Meinert, senior analyst at research firm Input, says the tremendous growth of the World Wide Web, a graphics Internet interface, "is putting increased capacity demands for greater bandwidth on the Internet infrastructure." In the past, the Internet depended primarily on simpler router-based wide-area networks that provided access to users with dial-up modems and leased lines. Bundles of data moving over this kind of network is evaluated and processed at each router until it arrives at its destination -- a tedious process that can adversely affect time-sensitive applications, such as video conferencing. "We've been talking about an information super highway, but our infrastructure is really just dirt roads," said Daniel E. Smith, Cascade's president and chief executive. Mr. Meinert noted that "switching is clearly the next generation, which allows you to create the virtual network." Financial details of the Netcom deal weren't disclosed, but Cascade's Mr. Smith said the deals with the three major Internet providers initially represents "tens of millions of dollars" of business. UUNet said it has purchased $6.5 million worth of Cascade products. Cascade's switches provide the highest port density and highest network capacity, analysts say. Its switches range in cost from $25,000 to $250,000 and enable a far greater number of users to access the Internet through any one point. While a typical router may be able to handle 20 to 50 users, a single Cascade switch can accommodate 1,000 users, says Desh Deshpande, Cascade's founder and marketing vice president. Additionally, the management capabilities of the smart switches enable Internet providers to track how many data bundles a customer sends, where each bundle is at any point in time, and what priority on the network they should be given. -----