ATM-to-the-desktop: its position and advantages in emerging networks

Given that ATM is expected to be the dominant backbone technology (with backbone speeds starting at 155 Mbps), two options exist for a network administrator when replacing an existing section of his network and/or adding a new section: (1) install a switched (possibly high-speed) LAN, or (2) install an all ATM solution (ATM-to-the-desktop), either native or with LAN emulation. We present a comparison of these two options, with emphasis on evaluating their respective performances. We illustrate these discussions with measured data and mathematical models.