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ISDN Systems Corporation Revolutionizes Remote Access with Innovative PC Adapters

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

ISDN Systems Corporation's two innovative PC adapter products, the FX-PRI and SecureLink II, have been made available, providing remote users with low-cost, high-speed access to information. The FX-PRI adapter offers primary rate speeds (1.544 Mbps) and frame relay capabilities, while the SecureLink II provides basic rate speeds (128 Kbps) and is the first BRI card to include a powered "U" interface. These products are poised to dramatically reduce the cost of ISDN and frame relay services, with the FX-PRI priced at $1,800 and the SecureLink II priced at $359.

Key Takeaways:

  • ISDN Systems Corporation's FX-PRI adapter is the only primary rate ISDN (PRI) adapter with a Windows NDIS 3.0 driver for NT, allowing service providers and corporations to build access gateways to the Internet and databases at a fraction of the cost of customer premises gear.
  • The FX-PRI card features an integrated CSU that can handle either ISDN or frame relay, supports frame relay RFC 1490, PPP (point-to-point protocol), and multilink PPP, and has a single port that supports up to 23 users simultaneously.
  • The SecureLink II PC adapter is the first BRI card to include a jack that allows the "U" interface to remain powered when the PC is turned off, enabling service technicians and network managers to perform line diagnostics even when remote systems aren't in use.
  • Both the FX-PRI and SecureLink II are the first products in their respective categories that can be remotely upgraded over the phone line in a matter of minutes, protecting against product obsolescence and network downtime costs.
  • The SecureLink II is the only ISDN terminal adapter to comply with Microsoft's Telephone Application Program Interface (TAPI), a high-level programming interface that lets different applications share a single telephony device.

Statistics:

  • Estimated one million ISDN users in the U.S. today expected to increase to four million by the end of 1996.
  • The FX-PRI adapter is nearly half the cost of other PRI cards, priced at $1,800.
  • The SecureLink II is priced at $359.
  • The SecureLink II interoperates with the most ISDN products and has full interoperability with PPP (point-to-point protocol) and NPPP (multilink point-to-point protocol).

Sources:

  • PR Newswire, "ISDN Systems Corporation Announces Availability of Innovative PC Adapters", April 11, 1995.
  • Microsoft, "ISDN Systems Corporation Partners with Microsoft to Bring Low-Cost ISDN Solutions to Market".
  • ISDN Systems Corporation, "FX-PRI and SecureLink II PC Adapters Revolutionize Remote Access".

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