The superhighway in action: the Cambridge trial

UK companies are at the forefront of world efforts to bring the communications revolution to the home. The author describes a comprehensive ATM based trial currently running in the UK. The Cambridge trial uses equipment that is, or will shortly be, available at mass market costs, and is based on what can be claimed as the world´s most advanced communications infrastructure. From end to end the trial uses ATM (asynchronous transfer mode). The first phase of the trial was set up to solve the technical issues involved in setting up and operating a low cost, fully switched ATM end to end infrastructure capable of delivering a wide range of information types, up to and including video. It also explored the basic logistics of service provision, including, for example, a regularly updated news on demand service. The second phase, extends the number of users and implements some cost reductions in the technology employed, but also focuses on the development of services. For this expansion of the trial, an environment has been created (the Service Nursery) for development and trialling of the new generation of multimedia services that will make the superhighway a commercial reality. A growing number of service providers (including the National Westminster bank, the Tesco supermarket chain and advertising agency BMP DDB Needham) have announced their participation in phase two