GTE selects Cascade ATM switch as backbone for Virginia distance learning program. High-speed network offers students statewideaccess to advanced digital communication services.

IRVING, Texas -- February 25, 1997 -- GTE today announced that it has

selected Cascade Communications Corp.'s (NASDAQ:CSCC) CBX 500 Asynchronous

Transfer Mode (ATM) Multiservice Switch for use in NET.WORK.VIRGINIA, a

high-speed communication network that links community colleges and

four-year universities throughout Virginia.

"We are committed to expanding educational opportunities of students

by bringing information closer to their fingertips that otherwise would be

difficult to obtain," said Barry Nalls, assistant vice president-business

product management for GTE Telephone Operations. "The Cascade ATM switches

will help us keep this promise."

In operation since early 1996, NET.WORK.VIRGINIA is an ongoing

project. The initial deployment of Cascade switches includes five CBX 500s

that are connecting the schools via a statewide distance learning program.

The NET.WORK.VIRGINIA project enables students to access resources from

schools across the state, and to participate in remote classroom

discussions during video conferencing sessions.

GTE's installed base of Cascade's B-STDX 9000 Frame Relay

Multiservice switches was a large factor in the company's selection of the

CBX 500 switch. GTE will be integrating the new CBX 500 switches into the

installed base of B-STDX 9000 switches which are now largely used to

support Frame Relay services.

"Although the focus of the NET.WORK.VIRGINIA project involves native

ATM applications, it is important for us to make investments that leverage

our installed base in Cascade Frame Relay switches," said Nalls.

Other factors instrumental in GTE's selection of the Cascade CBX 500

were its integrated management and interworking options; best-of-class

port density; cost per port and Quality of Service. These features enable

the CBX 500 switch to meet the numerous requirements of the

NET.WORK.VIRGINIA project. For example, the switch provides a large

amount of dedicated bandwidth for the smooth transport of real-time video

for distance learning. It also reliably supports different types of

traffic on a single platform and provides the Quality of Service to

guarantee an end-to-end connection for each of the types of traffic.

"Guaranteed quality of service is critical in a multiservice network

such as NET.WORK.VIRGINIA," said Chris Baldwin, ATM Business Manager for

Cascade Communications Corp. "Because it is based on Cascade's Quad Plane

Architecture and Virtual Network Navigator, the CBX 500 delivers these

guarantees."

Cascade's single platform SNMP-based CascadeView/UX management system

will make the integration of the new ATM switches into the legacy network

virtually seamless. Cascade was the first, and remains the only, WAN

equipment provider to support Frame Relay to ATM interworking with its

multiservice software-based switch offering.

Separately, GTE has also recently installed a Cascade 500 ATM switch

in Dothan, Ala., that will enable colleges and universities in five

southeastern states to electronically transfer information between

campuses similar to the NET.WORK.VIRGINIA effort. GTE also plans to

deploy additional Cascade 500 ATM multiservice switches later this year in

some of its key California, Florida and Hawaii markets.

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2T(97)

About GTE

With revenues of more than $21 billion in 1996, GTE is one of the largest

publicly held telecommunications companies in the world. GTE is also the

largest U.S.- based local telephone company and a leading cellular-service

provider -- with wireline and wireless operations that form a market area

covering about one third of the country's population. Additional

information about GTE can be found on the Internet at GTE

About Cascade Communications Corp.

Cascade Communications Corp. (NASDAQ: CSCC) is at the forefront of

broadband data communications with its family of scaleable, carrier-class

Frame Relay, ATM, and Remote Access switching products. Used by public

carriers and Internet service providers worldwide, Cascade's products are

forming the foundation of the public network infrastructure for global

communications. Cascade is headquartered in Westford, Massachusetts, USA,

with offices throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia/Pacific.