AT&T Co has launched a fast packet switch for phone companies, to enable them to offer broadband data services over the public network. The BNS-2000 Broadband Networking Family consists of a high-speed switch, bridges and routers and integrated network management. It provides public network Switched Multi-megabit Data Services, operating at speeds of 1.5Mbps through to SONET rates of 155Mbps. Using BNS-2000, telephone companies can build a backbone network based on broadband Integrated Services Digital Network as it enables them to use the public network to interconnect local area networks such as Starlan, Ethernet, Token Ring, and Fibre Distributed Data Interface. Telephone company customers can use the bridging and routing equipment in their offices to bridge local area network services across metropolitan areas. Applications will primarily be graphicsbased packages. The product is part of AT&T Network Systems’ Service Net-2000 architecture. As well as conforming to the Baby Bells’ Bell Communications Research Switched Multi-megabit Data Services cpecifications, which define how telecommunications companies will implement metropolitan area networks based on the IEEE 802.6 standard, BNS-2000 meets other standard network interface offerings such as ISDN, X25, asynchronous, synchronous and Frame Relay. AT&T says that integration of the BNS-2000 with elements such as the 5ESS-2000 switch and the BRT-2000 will reduce telephone company operations costs, make it easier to introduce new data services, and improve administration and management.
