It is with great pleasure that I respond to the kind invitation of the BAF project to contribute prefatory remarks to this account of their work, carried out under the auspices of the RACE Programme (Research and Development in Advanced Communications in Europe). The objective of the RACE Programme was to support the intro duction of Integrated Broadband Communications in the European Union. An important part of this overall objective was served by the BAF project, which has aimed to produce a cost-effective access facility for broadband networks, especially for residential and small business customers. As this book relates, in order to do so the project consortium merged two advanced communications technologies, ATM and PON, with contributions from many other disciplines, to create a demon strator which has been subject to extensive trials and testing which have been fruitful both in contributions to international standards and in development work to improve further future generations of the system. This book forms an important reference source through the experience gained in this unique experiment in advanced telecommunications. Another significant feature of the project should not be overlooked however. When the European Commission first began looking at supporting industrial research in Europe in the mid-1980s, it was clear that we had important strengths in telecommunications. It was equally clear that a revolution was on the way - the digital revolution - and European pre-eminence in the field was not guaranteed for ever.

It is certain that, over the next few years, data traffic will dwarf voice traffic on telecommunications networks. Growth in data-traffic volumes far exceeds that for voice, and is driven by increased use of applications such as e-mail attachments, remote printing and fileserver access, and the now omnipresent World Wide Web. The growth of data networking to connect computers with each other and with their peripheral devices began in earnest in the 1970s, took off in the 1980s and exploded in the 1990s. The early 21st century will see ever faster, more cost effective networks providing flexible data access into ever more businesses and homes. Since the 1970s there have been great advances in technology. For the past twenty years the processing power of computers has continued to grow with no hint of slowing - recall the oft-cited Moore's Law claiming that this power doubles every 18 months. Advances in the data networking equipment required to support the data traffic generated have been enormous. The pace of development from early X. 25 and modem technology through to some of the advanced equipment functionality now available is breathtaking - it is sometimes hard to believe that the practical router is barely ten years old! This book provides an overview of the advanced data networking field by bringing together chapters on local area networks, wide area networks and their application.

"A very important book."--Travis Russell, Telecommunications Protocols. The coplexity of telecommunications networks is growing exponentially. this book is a systematic guide to standards, basic concepts, and current practices for telecom professionals. It includes: full TMN and OSI coverage; coverage of all major telecom management standards; scenario and example sections in each chapter; coverage of Local Number Portability issues. For the pro who wants a guide to all aspects of managing telecom networks.

Seamless Networks offers practical engineering guidance on achieving smooth merges of all current network technologies--hard-wired and wireless, global and local, multimedia and more. Covering product development, standards, connectivity, performance, and service, as well as strategic planning, this book is the telecommunications professional's one-stop resource for network integration.

The Focal Illustrated dictionary of Telecommunications is an invaluable resource for anyone studying, entering, or already working in the telecommunications industry. * Written by experts with specialist knowledge * Contains essential data for on-the-job use * Includes over 6,000 terms, definitions and acronyms * Has over 350 line drawings * The most comprehensive reference source of this nature A Technical Manager for Nortel Networks, Fraidoon Mazda has held various senior technical posts within the electronics and telecommunications industries. He is editor of the Telcommunications Engineer's Reference Book, now in its second edition, and has also edited a series of eight pocketbooks derived from this major work. Since obtaining his PhD from Cambridge University, Dr. Xerxes Mazda has worked at the Science Museum, London, in various research and management positions. He is currently the Associate Curator of Communications.

TMN is a network monitoring system that allows telecommunications providers to monitor every element of their networks. While TMN is a powerful tool for controlling telecommunication networks, it is difficult to manage. This is the book that helps telecommunications managers effectively use TMN.