International standards for broadband aspects of ISDN

Standardization activity in the area of B-ISDN (broadband integrated services digital network) during the present study period of Study Group XVIII of the CCITT is described. At the beginning of this activity, it was generally assumed that basic agreements on international standards for B-ISDN should be reached before 1988. Although substantial results have been achieved, they fall short of expectations. The results achieved and the reasons for not reaching the objectives are summarized.<>