Telecommunication applications of the 1990s and their transport requirements

The extent of the diversity in telecommunication services of the next decade is investigated, using a number of transport-oriented characteristics. Groups of services that have similar transport requirements are identified. The results are shown to have implications on priority considerations in the headers of asynchronous time-division multiplexing (ATDM), otherwise known as asynchronous transfer mode, cells, and also to provide an introduction strategy for ATDM switching into the present network. A detailed service characterization and a taxonomy of services are included.<>