Caracas, Venezuela: The International Telecommunications Union today announced that its Telecommunications Standardization Sector (ITU-T) has proposed for approval the first world standard for Automatically Switched Transport Networks (ASTN). The new standard is a result of the work programme initiated by the ITU to define technology that goes beyond point-to-point architectures, thus allowing for intelligent transport networking. ITU-T Recommendation G.807/Y.1301 "Requirements for the Automatic Switched Transport Networks" will have its first application in automatically switched optical networks thus bringing intelligent optical networks one step closer to reality.
Automatically Switched Transport Networks will provide a means for carriers to deliver end-to-end, managed bandwidth services efficiently and expediently. For clients of the transport network, this translates to the availability of robust, cost effective, on-demand bandwidth, when they need it.
Optical Networking, the first application of this new technology, is a multi-billion dollar business sector that promises to offer advantages such as lower operating costs for carriers and lower cost per-unit-bandwidth for clients.
"The standardisation of automatically switched transport networks marks the first step in achieving a global transport network to provide cost effective, client independent, managed bandwidth services. Furthermore, the approval of this Recommendation provides for a set of globally agreed requirements to be used in developing additional global standards", said Brian Moore, Chairman of ITU-T Study Group 13.
