The leading EDGE in high-speed data communications services: The InterSpan® Asynchronous Transfer Mode Service

The emergence of new high-speed client/server and multimedia applications demands a new generation of computer communications services. The InterSpan® Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) Service, first introduced in May 1994, is a highly reliable, low-cost, shared transport service 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 evolution to the future. The service has three main features that differentiate it from the competition: the ReliaBURST SM traffic management method, which improves data transfer performance; an industry-leading Customer Network Management System, which lets customers "see" their portion of the shared network; and a frame relay-to-ATM protocol conversion service, which makes the evolution to ATM easier by protecting the investment of customers currently using the InterSpan Frame Relay Service. The service development plan has a rich set of additional features, including higher speeds, switched virtual circuits for high-capacity bandwidth on demand, and globalization.