Broadband capabilities within intelligent networks

Broadband communication has become a "hot issue". ATM will be the most important switching technology for broadband networks, both in the private and public areas. In the hype around ATM, a clear distinction is made between private networks and public networks. In the private area (e.g. LANs), a rapid growth of ATM can be seen already today. The market for public ATM-based services does not yet show such a development. The introduction of broadband capabilities in public networks will enable a wide range of new services, such as broadband LAN-interconnect and interactive video services. The intelligent network (IN) concept, offering flexibility and rapid service introduction, will be a very important issue in these broadband networks. Some of the major questions in broadband INs is: which are the requirements for IN development and what are the main service drivers for broadband INs? We focus on these issues, starting with a brief introduction to broadband signaling.