ATM

Abstract

Before we move on to consider further the transport structure for B-ISDN, we must pause to take a look at other current developments in digital network technology. Frame Relay is a technique that has recently been standardized as a method which offers high transmission capacity utilization efficiency for the transmission of data over digital networks operating at high speed with low probability of error. It is ideally suited to the interconnection of multiple Local Area Networks (LAN) and also to other newer applications requiring high-speed data communication such as medical imaging and PC-to-PC file transfers. Frame relay possesses some features characteristic of both packet switching and circuit switching. Like packet switching, such as X25, frame relay networks use transmission capacity only when there is traffic to send. However, like circuit switching, frame relay is transparent to the data communications protocol used and can switch traffic at relatively high speeds.