Bell Canada ISDN Trial Plans

After years of work by the CCITT and other standards bodies, the ISDN concept has reached the stage where manufacturers are announcing the availability of ISDN network and terminal products. Bell Canada has responded to this development by planning an extensive ISDN trial program, including access-loop verification, switch hardware and software verification, and, finally, customer market trials. This trial program will permit Bell Canada to refine the technology and services to best meet customer needs. The trial program is only the most recent manifestation of the evolution towards ISDN through digital network modernization. An early move towards digital technology within Bell has already paid substantial dividends in terms of new services and revenues. These services, and the emerging ISDN-based service opportunities, are highlighted in this paper.