Developments in European Public Data Networks

Abstract

There have now been many superficial surveys of planned public data networks (e.g. Refs 1 and 2). It is not worth repeating that material in this paper, and yet the field is advancing sufficiently slowly that there is little new to report on such plans. Instead, in this paper we will first give, as background in $2, an overview of the expected demand for data transmission facilities in Europe, and survey in $3, the data facilities commonly available on the present day analogue telephone network. In $$4–7 we follow the earlier references in describing European data network activities, both circuit-switched and packet-switched, but not providing much technical detail. Rapid progress in international data communications is discussed in $8. This leads naturally to a discussion of activities in the interconnection of data networks of $9. The interconnection of national networks leads to a brief consideration of the potential impact of communications satellites ($10) on the field of data communications. In $11 we broach the serious problem of “data services”, and how many of these impact, and may run foul of, the PTT monopolies. Finally, our conclusions are presented in $12.