The main problem with ISDN is availability: any end user must be connected to a digital exchange and that

digital exchange must be able to cope with ISDN - a plug in addition to the digital switch. Due to the cost of installing this equipment, the uptake has not been worth the investment, but investment is required for availability (a chicken and the egg scenario). The cost to transmit the data depends on the amount of time the line is active for. This is why Digital Subscriber Lines (DSL) has come about. It is a sophisticated technology which can meet the demands of the consumer with regard to bandwidth, it can strip any Internet related traffic off the POTS network routing it on high speed packet switched networks and be delivered at a reasonable cost to the Gavin Cameron, May 17, 2000 Page 7 of 15 consumer. Because the high speed network is a packet switched network, the length of the call is not an issue as the bandwidth from the exchange is only used as and when required. This has led to the philosophy of being on-line 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. However, in this country there is still availability problems only 20% of the population have access to this technology.

Asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) is a type of digital subscriber line (DSL) technology, a data communications technology that enables

faster data transmission over copper telephone lines than a conventional voiceband modem can provide. It does this by utilizing frequencies that are not used by a voice telephone call.[1] A splitter, or DSL filter, allows a single telephone connection to be used for both ADSL service and voice calls at the same time. ADSL can generally only be distributed over short distances from the telephone exchange (the last mile), typically less than 4 kilometres (2 mi),[2] but has been known to exceed 8 kilometres (5 mi) if the originally laid wire gauge allows for further distribution. At the telephone exchange the line generally terminates at a digital subscriber line access multiplexer (DSLAM) where another frequency splitter separates the voice band signal for the conventional phone network. Data carried by the ADSL are typically routed over the telephone company's data network and eventually reach a conventional Internet Protocol network. Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) is a type of Digital Subscriber Line technology, a data communications technology that enables faster data transmission over copper telephone lines than a conventional voiceband modem can provide. It does this by utilizing frequencies that are not used by a voice telephone call. A cable modem is a type of network bridge and modem that provides bidirectional data communication via radio frequency channels on a hybrid fibre-coaxial (HFC) and RFoG infrastructure. Cable modems are primarily used to deliver broadband Internet access in the form of cable Internet, taking advantage of the high bandwidth of a HFC and RFoG network. They are commonly deployed in Australia, Europe,Asia and the Americas. A cable modem is a device that enables you to hook up your PC to a local cable TV line and receive data at about 1.5 Mbps. This data rate far exceeds that of the prevalent 28.8 and 56 Kbps telephone modems and the up to 128 Kbps of Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) and is about the data rate available to subscribers of Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) telephone service. A cable modem can be added to or integrated with a set-top box that provides your TV set with channels for Internet access. In most cases, cable modems are furnished as part

of the cable access service and are not purchased directly and installed by the subscriber.

A cable modem has two connections: one to the cable wall outlet and the other to a PC or to a set-top box for a TV set. Although a cable modem does modulation between analog and digital signals, it is a much more complex device than a telephone modem. It can be an external device or it can be integrated within a computer or set-top box. Typically, the cable modem attaches to a standard 10BASE-T Ethernet card in the computer.

All of the cable modems attached to a cable TV company coaxial cable line communicate with a Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) at the local cable TV company office. All cable modems can receive from and send signals only to the CMTS, but not to other cable modems on the line. Some services have the upstream signals returned by telephone rather than cable, in which case the cable modem is known as a telco-return cable modem. Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) is, according to the ATM Forum, "a telecommunications concept defined by ANSI and ITU (formerly CCITT) standards for carriage of a complete range of user traffic, including voice, data, and video signals,"[1] and is designed to unify telecommunication and computer networks. It uses asynchronous timedivision multiplexing,[2][3] and it encodes data into small, fixedsized cells. This differs from approaches such as the Internet Protocol or Ethernet that use variable sized packets or frames.ATM provides data link layer services that run over a wide range of OSI physical layer links. ATM has functional similarity with both circuit switched networking and small packet switched networking. It was designed for a network that must handle both traditional high-throughput data traffic (e.g., file transfers), and real-time, low-latency content such as voice and video. ATM uses a connection-oriented model in which a virtual circuit must be established between two endpoints before the actual data exchange begins.[3] ATM is a core protocol used over the SONET/SDH backbone of the public switched telephone

network (PSTN) and Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN), but its use is declining in favour ofall IP. ATM was developed to meet the needs of the Broadband Integrated Services Digital Network, as defined in the late 1980s. Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) is an International Telecommunication Union-Telecommunications Standards Section (ITU-T) standard for cell relay wherein information for multiple service types (ie: voice, video, or data), is conveyed in small, fixed-size (53 byte) cells via connection-oriented Virtual Circuits (VCs). ATM technology supported in Cisco IOS Software deals with platform-independent router functionality, including Cisco 1700, 2600, 3600, 3700, 7100, 7200, 7300, 7500, and 12000 Series Routers. This connects to standards-based ATM Switching networks.

The Cisco ATM implementation allows the design and deployment of ATM links in a variety of network applications: high-speed network access, ATM aggregation of leased lines, ATM as a transport for Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) networks, and core ATM links. The Cisco ATM implementation is based upon standards defined in the ATM Forum, ITU-T, and IETF. Evolution Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) represents a relatively recently developed communications technology designed to overcome the constraints associated with traditional, and for the most part separate, voice and data networks. ATM has its roots in the work of a CCITT (now known as ITU-T) study group formed to develop broadband ISDN standards during the mid-1980s. In 1988, a cell switching technology was chosen as the foundation for broadband ISDN, and in 1991, the ATM Forum was founded. The ATM Forum represents an international consortium of public and private equipment vendors, data communications and telecommunications service providers, consultants, and end users established to promote the implementation

of ATM. _To accomplish this goal, the ATM Forum develops standards with the ITU and other standards organizations. The first ATM Forum standard was released in 1992. Various ATM Forum working groups are busy defining additional standards required to enable ATM to provide a communications capability for the wide range of LAN and WAN transmission schemes it is designed to support. This standardization effort will probably remain in effect for a considerable period due to the comprehensive design goal of the technol-ogy, which was developed to support voice, data, and video on both local and wide area networks. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies ICTs. It allocates global radio spectrum and satellite orbits, develops the technical standards that ensure networks and technologies seamlessly interconnect, and strives to improve access to ICTs to underserved communities worldwide. Founded in Paris in 1865 as the International Telegraph Union, ITU took its present name in 1934. In 1947, ITU became a specialized agency of the United Nations. ITU's mission is to enable the growth and sustained development of telecommunications and information networks, and to facilitate universal access so that people everywhere can participate in, and benefit from, the emerging information society and global economy. ITU's work helps deploy infrastructure, achieve connectivity, and provide efficient telecommunication services worldwide. Every time someone picks up a telephone and dials a number, answers a call on a mobile, sends a fax or receives an e-mail, takes a plane or a ship, listens to the radio or watches a favorite television program, they benefit from the universal telecommunication and ICT frameworks put in place by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The basis of our social and economic life - and our lifestyles - are increasingly dependent on new, state-of-the-art information and communication technologies. ITU has been at the cutting edge of information and communication technologies, defining and adopting the globally agreed technical standards that have allowed industry to interconnect people and equipment seamlessly around the world. It has also successfully regulated worldwide use of the radiofrequency spectrum, ensuring all international wireless

communications remain interference-free to ensure the relay of vital information and economic data around the world. Spearheading telecommunications development on a global scale, ITU also fosters the deployment of telecommunications in developing countries by advising on development policies, regulatory frameworks and strategies, and by providing specialized technical assistance in the areas of technology transfer, cybersecurity, management, financing, installation and maintenance of networks, disaster mitigation, and capacity building. ITU's biggest achievement is undoubtedly the pivotal role it has played in the creation of the international telecommunications network - the largest man-made artifact ever created. Today, thanks to the advent of the Internet, mobile wireless telephony, convergence strategies and more, this network keeps us in touch, brings us world news and entertainment, provides access to a huge global store of information, and underpins the global economy. It would not exist without ITU's work. As ITU expands its efforts to develop an enabling environment through policy and regulatory modernization and harmonization, the Union's priorities are to strengthen cybersecurity and emergency communications, to support the migration to next-generation networks (NSN), and to build capacity especially in least developed countries. 1.1 Objectives and main activities The overall objectives of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) are to promote the development of telecommunication networks and access to telecommunication services by fostering cooperation among governments and a range of non-governmental actors that includes network operators, service providers, equipment manufacturers, scientific and technical organisations, financial organisations and development organisations.

The ITUs main activities include:

Standardising telecommunications technologies, services and operations, including tariffs and numbering plans.

Allocating radio frequency bands to different services and coordinating and registering frequency assignments and satellite orbital positions so as to avoid harmful interference. Promoting the development of telecommunications infrastructure and services, regulatory institutions, and human resources in developing countries. Providing information on global telecommunications trends and developments. 1.2 Legal/constitutional composition The ITU is founded on a set of treaties dating back to 1865 that have binding force in international law the ITU Constitution and Convention, the Radio Regulations, and the International Telecommunication Regulations as well as resolutions, recommendations and other non-binding instruments adopted by its conferences.[1]

Although it is an intergovernmental organisation, a large number of private sector entities and other non-governmental actors are members of the ITU and participate in its work. This is a longstanding arrangement that reflects the important role non-governmental actors have played since the days of the telegraph in developing telecommunications technologies, networks and services. The current ITU Constitution provides for three distinct classes of membership member states, sector members, and associates with differing rights and obligations.

The ITU is organised into three sectors Radiocommunication, Telecommunication Standardisation and Telecommunication Development known respectively as ITU-R, ITU-T and ITU-D. Much of the substantive work of the ITU is done by its members in sector meetings with administrative support from the three sector bureaus: the Radiocommunication Bureau (BR), Telecommunication Standardisation Bureau (TSB) and Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT). Each bureau is headed by a director.

The ITU General Secretariat provides common services to support the activities of the sectors. It also organises world and regional TELECOM exhibitions and forums as well as smaller scale seminars and workshops, and publishes reports on trends, developments and emerging issues. It is headed by a secretary-general who is responsible for the overall management of the ITU and is assisted by a deputy secretary-general.

ITU activities are funded mainly through a free choice system in which member states and sector members select the number of contributory units they wish to pay from a sliding scale that ranges from 40 units at the top end to one sixteenth of a unit at the bottom. Because they do not have the same rights as member states, most notably the right to vote, the value of a sector member unit is only a fraction of the value of a member state unit (currently one fifth). The fees paid by associates in turn are fractions of the value of a sector member unit, reflecting their more limited rights to participate in ITU activities.[2]

The monetary value of the contributory unit is adjusted every two years as part of the ITU budget process. The values of member state and sector member contributory units currently stand at CHF 318,000 (USD 260,627) and CHF 63,600 (USD 52,125) respectively. The fees charged to associates range between CHF 1,987.50 (USD 1,628) and CHF 10,600 (USD 8,687), depending on the sector with which they are associated and the countries from which they come.

In addition to membership fees, the ITU derives significant revenues from the sale of publications and other cost recovery activities. These activities currently account for about 15% of total revenues. INTERNATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATION UNION

Did you know that... The global telecommunications network is the world's largest man-made artefact. Telecommunications first started in 1839, when two men, Cooke and Wheatstone, carried the first messages on a 21-kilometre telegraph system between London and West Drayton in England. By 1874, the technology had improved to such a degree that signals could be sent through a 5,700-kilometrelong cable between Ireland and Nova Scotia, Canada. The first voice telephone was patented by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876, and the first radio-communications system by Guglielmo Marconi in 1896. The radio frequency spectrum is a finite resource, which is becoming increasingly congested as more and more services crowd into the limited space available. The international telephone network now comprises a vast web of copper cable, fibre optic lines, high-capacity undersea cables, radio-based links and satellites which between them relay some 165 million minutes worth of calls around the world every day. In 1920, the number of voice channels which could be carried over a single piece of copper twisted-pair wire was six. Today, technical advances allow the same piece of wire to carry 34,000 separate channels. There are currently more telephones in the city of Tokyo than in all of subSaharan Africa. About two thirds of the world's people still do not have easy access to a simple telephone.