GMN: a broadband multimedia communications service concept and field trials

The Global Megamedia Network is a network service concept developed by NTT to be the key component in its information-sharing business strategy. The concept gives the architecture for providing full-fledged multimedia services during the next decade. It will be used to construct a high-throughput secure networking environment in which advanced multimedia services will be provided to customers in an easy and comfortable to use manner at an affordable cost. The GMN concept proposes the deployment of flexible and high-quality service provision platforms that enable high-performance networking (real-time transfer of megabytes of information), provide high functionality to make multimedia communications easy and comfortable, and provide services at about the same cost as existing telephony. This article first analyzes the market trends and customer needs we are facing in Japan. Then the GMN services concept and the network architecture for deploying services are explained. GMN-CL technologies are explained as the first step in developing full-fledged GMN services. Finally, NTT R&D's testbed network, called GEMnet, is described and the results of field trials are presented.