Putting thought into networks

Intelligent networks (INs) are changing the culture and structure of the telecoms industry, and will change the way that customers think about telephone services. Yet they are doing all this largely unnoticed. The changes are gradual, the name ´intelligent network´ means different things to different people, and the only glamorous technologies involved are something of a distraction. INs are a natural technological progression. They are an example of how innovation in services can result from the novel application of conventional technology. INs exploit the improvement in performance and reliability of data processing systems, which means that ordinary computer equipment can be used to control telephone calls in real time. Here, the author explains how intelligent networks are changing the way telecoms services work