2005 - A VISION OF THE NETWORK OF THE FUTURE

Telecommunication is no longer soley the business of the established t elecom operators: cable TV operators and utility companies will offer telecom services if allowed to do so by the regulator. Established tel ecom operators modernize their networks to attract new services and ne w business. Within this competitive business, telecom equipment suppli ers have to profile themselves as network integrators for their custom ers. Market factors point towards an increase in telecommunication nee ds for both video and data services. New applications such as multimed ia communication and increase in user mobility are putting severe requ irements on the network. Given these trends, the article envisages a g lobal network for the year 2005, based on the ATM technique.