Toward Local Network Digitalization: The View from Japan

This paper describes digital service integration in the local network. Since the local telephone network accounts for a large portion of the total network cost, it is desirable that a single local network be shared by telephone and nontelephone services. This service integration may include shared local switches, shared
N \times 64
kbit/s subscriber lines, and shared wide-band subscriber lines. This paper also describes the total network architecture which can easily adapt to variously changing circumstances in the future.