HIGH-PERFORMANCE NETWORKS FOR BROAD-BAND MULTIMEDIA SERVICES

Research and development in Advanced Communications technologies for E urope (RACE) played a key role in developing the crucial technology of Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) which can provide a high-performance networking platform for broadband multimedia communications while all owing access to the existing worlds of voice, data, and broadcasting. The functionalities of high-performance networks in the user plane, co ntrol plane, and management planes to provide integral performance for the satisfaction of the users have been tested in accompanying measur es such as the TEN-IBC projects of the European Commission. The Europe an Union (EU) is now starting Advanced Communications Technologies and Services (ACTS) - the follow-up to RACE - as one of the major specifi c programs in the fourth research framework, involving 630 million ECU s of European Union contribution over four years. High-performance net working is a key development area within ACTS. It has a clear objectiv e of enabling the deployment of a coherent and comprehensive trans-Eur opean information highway consisting of a terrestrial (optical), mobil e, and satellite network infrastructure supporting broadband multimedi a communications with maximum flexibility and a cost-effective evoluti on approach. Operational trials of high-performance networks involving different types of users, applications, network operators (national h osts), and the European ATM pilot network are planned as a part of the new ACTS projects. This article summarizes the projects involved and their activities toward the objectives of provisioning the high-perfor mance network information highway for broadband multimedia application s.