Broadband network development in Australia

The authors describe the development of the Australian public telecommunications network in preparation for the introduction of broadband services. They consider the application of metropolitan area networks (MANs) and in particular the IEEE 802.6 standard proposals based on the queued packet and synchronous switch (QPSX). The transition from these solutions to a B-ISDN (broadband integrated services digital network) is discussed in detail, with regard to possible use of synchronous transmission networks of B-ISDN transport and compatibility with existing terminals and network products. The longer term implications of service integration based on asynchronous transfer modes are also addressed, with no particular emphasis on the ability of such techniques to offer highly flexible network infrastructures for resource allocation and management. They note that Australia foresees widespread application of the higher rate B-ISDN interface around 600 Mb/s to allow customers full broadband support