Evolving Networking Capabilities

Over the past decade, dramatic changes have taken place in wide-area networking. This has been due to legal, regulatory and technical reasons. This paper examines the technical evolution that has transformed analog, hierarchical, rigid, voice-oriented wide-area networks into digital, flexible intelligent bandwidth management systems capable of handling voice, data and image communications. Over the next half decade, networks will evolve with high performance, broad-band capabilities and enhanced service features. While transmission technology has played a large part in the evolution of domestic wide-area networks, the rapid progress in processing technology and its deployment into the network has played an even greater role in this evolution. To provide a perspective, the discussion begins with a brief historical overview of wide-area networking evolution. The newly emerging capabilities of Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) and bandwidth management are then presented, followed by a vision of future capabilities into the 1990's.