Handbook of Local Area Networks, 1998 Edition:LAN Interconnectivity Basics Click Here! Search the site:   ITLibrary ITKnowledge EXPERT SEARCH Programming Languages Databases Security Web Services Network Services Middleware Components Operating Systems User Interfaces Groupware & Collaboration Content Management Productivity Applications Hardware Fun & Games EarthWeb sites Crossnodes Datamation Developer.com DICE EarthWeb.com EarthWeb Direct ERP Hub Gamelan GoCertify.com HTMLGoodies Intranet Journal IT Knowledge IT Library JavaGoodies JARS JavaScripts.com open source IT RoadCoders Y2K Info Previous Table of Contents Next PUBLIC FRAME RELAY SERVICE OFFERINGS Several years ago, frame relay offerings were not as ubiquitous as they are today. The first practical service offering came from WilTel with its WilPak service. Hughes Network Systems, Netrix, Northern Telecom, and StrataCom were among the first vendors to offer frame relay functionality in their products. Most other large switch vendors (e.g., Ascom Timeplex, Newbridge, and Siemens, among others) followed suit, motivated by the potential of frame relay and by participation in the Frame Relay Forum. A new vendor, Cascade, came onto the scene more recently, but has joined Newbridge and StrataCom as one of the three most predominant suppliers of frame relay switches used for public networks in North America. Long-Distance Carriers Today, most long-distance or interexchange carriers (IXCs) offer a frame relay service for wide area data connectivity. Some carriers bundle the service with customer premise equipment such as data service units/ channel service units (DSU/CSUs), routers, or frame relay access devices (FRADs). Others recommend particular routers or FRADs but do not resell them. Still other carriers resell routers and FRADs for use with their frame relay service. Most of the carriers offer service at 56K and 64K-bps, Fractional T1 and Nx64, and full T1/E1 rates. All U.S. long distance carriers and many international carriers coordinate service with the local carriers in a given region, for networks that have national and international span. Some carriers may offer (or at least are planning to offer) ISDN or another type of switched access to their frame relay service for further cost savings for light-duty sites. At the time of this writing, only a few carriers were considering integral backup services, therefore customers must arrange their own fixed or dial backup schemes (which may bypass the frame relay network entirely). Because the international extensions of some frame relay offerings may be at a lower speed than domestic connections, they may be appropriate for access rather than backbone connections. As purchasers, network managers should always ask for full information on any service they are considering. US Local Exchange Carriers The phenomenon of advanced data services from the regional Bell operating companies (RBOCs) is fairly recent. Most of the local phone companies, including Ameritech, Bell Atlantic, NYNEX, Pacific Bell, and US West, are up to speed with frame relay services and equipment or recommendations. Bell South and Southwestern Bell also have an organized frame relay service offering for networking within their regions and for coordination with services outside their regions. As with the interchange carriers, some RBOCs bundle frame relay service with customer premise equipment (i.e., DSU/CSUs, routers, or FRADs). Others may recommend particular routers or FRADs. Several resell routers or FRADs for use with their frame relay service. Most of the RBOCs offer service at 56K-bps, Fractional T1, and T1 rates. A few only offer 56K-bps or full T1-based service. Many of the local phone companies provide switched access. The availability of coordinated backup services from the RBOCs is not known at the time of this writing. Alternative Carriers, Private Networks, and Special Offerings Several alternate carriers have sprung up in the last few years. Some are regionalized alternatives to the RBOCs, and some are alternative long-distance carriers. Still others are alternative offerings such as very small aperture terminal (VSAT) satellite systems for private networks or public or shared hub services. Some frame relay access equipment vendors offer data compression for certain types of traffic (e.g., IP in the case of routers) or for any traffic (e.g., with selected FRAD vendors). A few vendors offer integral DSU/ CSUs or ISDN capability for a significant cost savings as compared to external line termination equipment and expensive cables. This last option is often attractive for network management as well, because it represents one less unit to manage or that could not be managed remotely. There are some aggressive leased-line tariffs in certain localized regions (e.g., multiple 56K-bps digital data service connections groomed into a single T1). Some vendors have equipment that takes advantage of these tariffs for the customer’s benefit. When comparing offerings, it pays to question the carriers, as well as any business contacts, user groups, newsgroups, and even the Frame Relay Forum, and then to compare options. Network managers should devise a checklist of feature and pricing items to facilitate any comparison. The best network solution may be all frame relay, no frame relay, or a hybrid approach. EMERGING ISSUES AND WHAT THEY MEAN TO CUSTOMERS The following paragraphs discuss some upcoming items and issues for frame relay services and equipment. They reflect some of the most significant new factors regarding frame relay. T1 and Fractional T1 Service Even though 56/64K-bps frame relay service has been used on the corporate network, a reflection of both application performance and cost issues, most carriers are aggressively pushing higher-speed offerings. This trend is a book for network managers, because the bottom line means T1 or Fractional T1 burst speeds can be available for less than the cost of a leased (non-frame relay)T1 or Fractional T1 circuit. T3 Service Today the majority of connections to frame relay services or networks is at T1 or below. However, the success of frame relay and the issues surrounding the widespread deployment of ATM in the wide area have given birth to more T3 connections to frame relay services. Frame relay functions fine at 45M bps and allows customers to implement this higher-speed connectivity without having to change their frame relay networking strategy. Previous Table of Contents Next Use of this site is subject certain Terms & Conditions. 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