In late 1996 Cisco Systems introduced the Cisco 3600 series family of modular, cost-effective, and high-performance dial access routers targeted at regional and branch office and small to medium-sized Internet Service Providers (ISPs). Over the next two years, the Cisco 3600 series announced further extensions to the platform with support for Fast Ethernet, voice/fax over IP, internal digital and analog modems, high-density asynchronous dial, ATM25/ADSL, and High-Speed Serial Interface (HSSI), adding multifunction capabilities to the initial dial-access solutions.

Now, with the announcement of new versions of ATM OC-3 network modules, the Cisco 3600 series further expands its flexibility as a multifunctional branch office solution for service provider and enterprise customers. These new modules add to the broad portfolio of Cisco ATM Customer Provided Equipment (CPE) and central office products, that allow branch offices to take advantage of the higher bandwidth and quality of service (QoS) available with ATM services. High-speed ATM access on the Cisco 3600 provides cost-effective, value-added, high-speed managed router services to both enterprise and service provider customers.