Evolution of AT&T's Customer Network Design Capabilities

Over the past ten years, significant effort and resources have been expended by AT&T on the development of state-of-the-art network design capabilities that are embodied in the Enhanced Interactive Network Optimization System (E-INOS). E-INOS is used by the AT&T technical sales support staff for designing customer voice, data, and integrated networks. In this paper, we discuss the evolution of private network design capabilities from the inception of E-INOS and describe the work underway to develop methods for the networks of the 1990s. We discuss the increasing complexity of private network design methods and the challenges facing the developers of network design systems.