Public data multi-service interface interworking using ATM (balancing connectivity, efficiency and performance)

ATM is an emerging, high speed, flexible set of data communications protocols that are based upon a solidifying set of standards and specifications. Data networking is primarily the domain of large enterprises today, with typical networks having only a few locations that can justify the speeds of ATM, with connectivity required to many more locations that have lower speed requirements. Furthermore, many users will want to utilize existing, or less expensive equipment at the smaller locations. A technological answer to these seemingly divergent requirements is that of interworking between other lower speed public data service interfaces and ATM. This paper first details the above market and service requirements as motivation. As background a high-level overview of each of the major, emerging public data network services is then given. Next, an overview of several newly defined service interface interworking protocols is given. Finally, critical success factors for public data service interface interworking with ATM in order to support an economically viable evolution to ATM/BISDN are identified