International gateway for SDH and SONET interconnection

The ITU-T SDH and the ANSI SONET are compatible but not identical standards for synchronous digital networks. There is significant complexity when carriers have to handle traffic originated from and terminated in different countries of different implementation preferences of SDH or SONET, or transit this traffic across one's network. The paper analyzes the diversity of the traffic and the management of international networks and services in considering the appropriate architectural designs of an international network and the SDH/SONET gateway. As an example, the paper presents a field trial plan to be conducted in 1994-95 by Sprint Communications.