Santa Clara, California-based First Virtual Corp has announced what it claims is the industry’s first Asynchronous Transfer Mode/Primary Rate ISDN gateway. The product is available immediately as the V-Gate 3000 for T-1 and V-Gate 3010 for E-1. The gateway was designed as an enhancement to the company’s V-Gate product family of ISDN-to-Asynchronous Transfer Mode gateways. These enable ISDN lines to be shared among desktop videoconferencing workstations, eliminating the need physically to install ISDN lines to each desktop. Both the V-Gate 3000 and V-Gate 3010 support hundreds of directed or dialed addresses, says the company. Network managers need only maintain one Primary Rate Interface circuit, rather than 12 Basic Rate Interface circuits. Simultaneously, First Virtual announced a technology alliance with Promptus Communications Inc, a subsidiary of GTI Corp that provides on-demand access to high-speed digital network services. Under the terms of the agreement, Promptus provides First Virtual with Basic Rate Interface and Primary Rate Interface network access module technology to maximize ISDN network services. Available immediately, the V-Gate 3000 is to be priced at $12,000 for a system that includes both 25Mbps Asynchronous Transfer and Primary Rate connections.
