Hitachi Cable, Ltd., plans to launch sales of its newly developed Apresia Series*1 of highly functional, inexpensive L3 *2 Ethernet*3 switches.

Along with the accelerated development of broadband technologies, companies are switching to Ethernet networks that are both faster and cheaper than conventional networks based on dedicated lines. Following the emergence of highly dependable Ethernet standards and increases in the speed, from 1Gbit/s to 10Gbit/s, and capacity of Ethernet transmissions, Hitachi Cable became the first company to develop a gigabit Ethernet with long-distance transmission capabilities. As a result, telecommunications companies in Japan are now able to build inexpensive Wide Area Networks (WANs), Metro Area Networks (MANs), and other telecommunications backbones using general-purpose Ethernet products, instead of making large capital investments in SONET/SDH and ATM networks.

Linking business units together via high-speed, high-capacity broadband Ethernet networks gives companies a range of new options and reduces transmission costs. For example, companies with many branches and sales units can convert their internal phone systems to VoIP*4, establish distribution branches over a wide area, and then transform their stores into "information stations" capable of such activities as selling on-line games, making ticket reservations, operating ATMs.

Against this background, the demand for multifunction, highly reliable L3 Ethernet switches is growing. However, previous multifunction L3 Ethernet switches for telecommunications companies were very costly, while its low-end L3 switches did not live up to the standards of reliability necessary for use in key corporate systems.

As a result, in April 2003 Hitachi Cable plans to launch sales of its next-generation Apresia Series multifunction L3 switches. This series is not only surprisingly affordable; it also comes with top-of-the-line security and redundancy functions as well as a bandwidth regulator. Hitachi Cable's fiscal 2004 sales target for the series is 4 billion yen.

The Apresia Series comes with the following features:

Multifunction Capabilities

Apresia's unique always-on failure-detection function restores service 4 times faster than conventional OSPF*5 redundancy functions. In addition, these products offer a variety of bandwidth regulators essential for multimedia use, including MAC*6 user authentication and VoIP.

High Reliability

High standards of reliability are kept with 100% domestic Japanese production, Hitachi Cable also controls the development system for the Apresia Series, delivering speedy software revisions and upgrades.

Low Price

Although there are many low-cost switches on the market, the Apresia Series features multifunction, high-performance products priced to be market leaders.

Hitachi Cable will continue to provide valuable products and services that are one step ahead of trend in business technology to telecommunications companies both in Japan and abroad in keeping with its position as a global broadband solution company.

Name and address of factory

Takasago Works
880 Isagosawa-cho, Hitachi-shi, Ibaragi-ken, 319-1418

Note 1	Layer three (L3) is the third layer of the Open System Interconnection (OSI) model and uses protocols from below the data link layer. L3 has been designed to enable communications between networks. With L3 systems, the data transmission path is chosen, and the packet size is converted in line with the individual address of each computer in the network. Internet Protocol (IP) belongs to layer three.
Note 2	Ethernet is a registered trademark of Xerox Corp.
Note 3	Using TCP/IP networks, Voice over Internet Protocol (VolP) transmits voice data and can be adapted to internal phone lines for corporate LAN networks and Internet phones .
Note 4	A TCP/IP routing protocol, Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) creates layered structures within networks and compresses the volume of information transmitted.
Note 5	Media Access Control (MAC) is a transmission control technology