Équipe Wins First Patént

ACTON, Mass. -- Équipe Communications Corporation was granted its first patent titled "Network Device for Supporting Multiple Redundancy Schemes" (United States Patent 6,332,198; http://www.uspto.gov/) recently. The patent details how Équipe's flagship product, the Équipe 3200TM (É3200) platform, supports multiple network redundancy schemes in a single platform to improve carrier network availability, lower operational expenses and provide 1:N redundancy. The two-year-old telecommunications equipment manufacturer has filed 74 patent applications to date.The É3200 platform is the first purpose-built Asynchronous Transfer Mode/Multiprotocol Label Switching (ATM/MPLS) core data switch with an integrated SONET/SDH cross-connect. This design provides Incumbent Local Exchange Carriers (ILEC) and InterExchange Carriers (IXC) maximum flexibility when selecting redundancy schemes for network devices. The É3200's patented technology supports multiple combinations of redundancy schemes in one platform lowering a carrier's capital expenditures along with the operational costs associated with 1:1 parallel redundancy architectures. In addition, bandwidth and processing power previously reserved in case of a network outage can be re-deployed for revenue generating services with no loss of availability."The É3200 is the first core data switch with an integrated SONET/SDH cross-connect. This design feature provides carriers flexible and reliable redundancy schemes because any processor card can connect or decouple with any physical card - at any time - through the cross-connect," said Chris Noel, director of technology and co-founder, Équipe Communications. "Customers asked for this because they want the flexibility to select the redundancy scheme that best fits their business and budget needs."Équipe Communications Corp.