THE LEADING-EDGE IN HIGH-SPEED DATA COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES - THE INTERSPAN(R) ASYNCHRONOUS TRANSFER MODE SERVICE

The emergence of new high-speed client/server and multimedia applicati ons demands a new generation of computer communications services. The InterSpans(R) Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) Service, first introduc ed in May 1994, is a highly reliable, low-cost, shared transport servi ce for these and other applications. Using the ATM interface protocol, the service provides multiple grades of service over a wide range of transmission speeds (currently up to 45 Mb/s), ensuring a smooth evolu tion to the future. The service has three main features that different iate it from the competition: the ReliaBURSTS(SM) traffic management m ethod, which improves data transfer performance; an industry-leading C ustomer Network Management System, which lets customers ''see'' their portion of the shared network; and a frame relay-to-ATM protocol conve rsion service, which makes the evolution to ATM easier by protecting t he investment of customers currently using the InterSpan Frame Relay S ervice. The service development plan has a rich set of additional feat ures, including higher speeds, switched virtual circuits for high-capa city bandwidth on demand, and globalization.