ATM block transfer capabilities: the special case of ABT/DT

ATM block transfer with delayed transmission (ABT/DT) is an ATM transfer capability, which is intended to perform statistical multiplexing in ATM networks and which has been standardized in the May 1996 version of ITU-T Recommendation I.371. In ABT/DT, the acceptance for transmission of an ATM block results from an in-call, real-time negotiation between the user and the network and depends on the traffic conditions within the network. This negotiation specifically consists of reserving by means of resource management (RM) cells a certain amount of bandwidth and buffer space within the network. The transfer of a new ATM block starts only when the overall traffic conditions are set. Beyond the description of the ABT/DT service model, this paper gives a rationale for the introduction of ABT/DT and addresses target applications