A laboratory plant for experimenting broadband communications in an ATM environment

The paper presents the ATM test-bed, i.e. an experimental plant designed and implemented in Italy to investigate the critical issues related to the introduction of asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) techniques in a broadband communication environment. The general layout of the test-bed is described with focus on both the rationale of its single/global features and the architectural aspects. Some perspectives for enriching the initial configuration of the test-bed and for exploiting the experimental plant are also introduced. Finally, some instances of demonstration to give insights of the test-bed capabilities are illustrated