A practical marriage: frame relay ATM internetworking. (asynchronous transfer mode)(Observation Deck)(Column)

For many organizations and most locations, frame relay provides the optimum high-speed data solution. Operating at T1 or fractional T1 rates, and with the ability to burst above committed information rates to full port speed, frame relay provides the capacity to handle most of today's high-speed data needs.

On the other hand, ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) offers much promise for the future, with the ability to carry data, voice, video and images simultaneously at T1, T45 and higher speeds. But even as the need for ATM grows, a wholesale abandonment of frame relay is clearly not practical; in fact, for many locations, frame relay will continue to be the optimum solution …