Private networks-the technology evolution to support customer demands

The paper considers the technology evolutions that are necessary to meet the needs of customers´ private communications. It considers: the evolution of business requirements covering the development of international businesses and the need to extend the network communications; the means by which the requirements for small business locations, currently excluded from full private network participation on a cost basis, will be incorporated into the private network by reducing the end user costs for service provision; and the mechanisms by which the public network centrex service provision will be used to complement the private network allowing effective homeworking and fully distributed offices. It also examines how the technologies relating to network services such as mobility, video communications and wideband data will impact the creation and use of private networks; and how the telecommunications regulations of the UK and especially Europe will have to be modified to allow the full realisation of the potentials enabled by the technologies developed