[1300] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
Network World 26 Aug 1991, "IBM VAN unit eyes frame relay"
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Edward Vielmetti)
Tue Sep 3 00:16:56 1991
To: com-priv@uu.psi.com
Date: Tue, 03 Sep 91 00:16:16 -0400
From: Edward Vielmetti <emv@ox.com>
Interesting article page one of Network World regarding the IBM Information
Network (IIN) and its plans to roll out frame relay to extend its reach
beyond its existing market of SNA-based transport services.
Estimates from the IBMer interviewed said 4Q1992 for rollout, though the
expert from the "META Group" market research firm pegged the date at
not before 1993.
It's worth speculating on whether there's competition between IIN's
new services and the ANS CO+RE offerings, or whether in fact there's
some synergy there, with the eventual prospect of IIN customer traffic
using the ANS backbone being not too far-fetched. Why maintain two
international networks if you can get by with only one? And frame relay
service seems like a perfectly reasonable "local loop" connection to the
backbone for those of us who can't afford a T3 local connect.
The downside to this is that "some time in 1993" is quite a long ways off
for frame relay if they have to wait for support in their 3745 FEPs. But
if they go to off-the-shelf systems in the meantime (a la the ciscos in
the ANS CO+RE) it might be competetive. Then again, if you're running
SNA, you're probably not concerned about being competetive at all.
--Ed
emv@msen.com
(confidential to SNA lovers: :-) :-) :-)
