According to The Migration Path to Asynchronous Transfer Mode, a new report that has been carried out by Norwell, Massachusetts-based analysts BIS Strategic Decisions, multimedia will not be a significant driver of Asynchronous Transfer Mode fast packet switching technology. The report, which is based on interviews with over 250 major US companies, finds that videoconferencing – which is widely touted as a primary application driver for Asynchronous Transfer Mode due to its high-bandwidth requirements – is seen to be a major driver by only 13% of the respondents. The most significant applications driver for higher bandwidth services is something much more mundane: electronic mail. However, as defined by BIS, the term connotes electronic mail being used for file transfer of compound documents, that is, advanced messaging with attached binary documents containing text, spreadsheets, graphics files and scanned images. Within the early adoptors expected for Asynchronous Mode between now and the year 2000, the primary group will come from companies with multiple DS1 and/or DS3 circuits today, says BIS. The study projects that 15% of this group of 11,000 sites, who currently spend over $20,000 per month on wide area network data services, will adopt some level of Asynchronous Transfer Mode wide area network services in their networks. The report is available immediately at a cost of $5,000, the company said.
