Wideband Packet Cross-connect System for an Integrated Voice/Data Field Experiment

Wideband Packet Switches capable of switching packetized voice, data, and compressed video signals at the DSI rates have the potential to make wideband ISDN services economically possible. This paper highlights important features of a Wideband Packet Cross-connect System (PCS) Prototype that was recently used to support a field experiment in California. The Wideband Packet Technology (WPT) relies on aggressive use of VLSI technology for implementing the core of a large switch as a self-routing multi-stage interconnection network and on distributed packet processing in trunk controllers. An architectural proposal and a report on some experiments that involve the use of this technology have been published earlier. The major focus on this paper is on the design of the PCS and its technologically unique features. A companion paper on WPT Access Interface (AI) presents similar information on the design of a customer interface that acts as a gateway for the packet network. This paper also presents some of the recent technological advances in the Wideband Packet Technology and examines its feasibility as a vehicle for continued evolution of the Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN).