Convergence—Technical Advances Leading to Improvements in IP Networks
The definition of convergence varies throughout the telecommunications industry. For purposes of this chapter, convergence is the capability of one public network to carry all types of traffic—voice, data and video—as packets. These networks either use Internet protocol (IP)-based routers or asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) switches, which send information in fixed-sized packets called cells. (See Chapter 6 for ATM.) Internet backbone networks are generally based on IP, a protocol used for routing packets in the Internet and in private networks. Wholesale carriers' networks that carry a mix of voice, data and video tend to be based on ATM- and IP-based routers.
Technical advances ...
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