The leading EDGE in high-speed data communications services: The InterSpan® Asynchronous Transfer Mode Service

• Published in: AT&T Technical Journal 1995-07, Vol.74 (4), p.38-49
• Main Authors: Coffield, Don R., Cole, Robert G., Saksena, Vikram R.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Asynchronous transfer mode; Communications; Exact sciences and technology; Switching and signalling; Systems, networks and services of telecommunications; Technology; Telecommunications; Telecommunications and information theory
• ISSN: 8756-2324; 2376-676X; 1538-7305
• DOI: 10.1002/j.1538-7305.1995.tb00191.x

The emergence of new high-speed client/server and multimedia applications demands a new generation of computer communications services. The InterSpan® Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) Service, first introduced in May 1994, is a highly reliable, low-cost, shared transport service for these and other applications. Using the ATM interface protocol, the service provides multiple grades of service over a wide range of transmission speeds (currently up to 45 Mb/s), ensuring a smooth evolution to the future. The service has three main features that differentiate it from the competition: the ReliaBURST SM traffic management method, which improves data transfer performance; an industry-leading Customer Network Management System, which lets customers "see" their portion of the shared network; and a frame relay-to-ATM protocol conversion service, which makes the evolution to ATM easier by protecting the investment of customers currently using the InterSpan Frame Relay Service. The service development plan has a rich set of additional features, including higher speeds, switched virtual circuits for high-capacity bandwidth on demand, and globalization.