Technical options for a European high-speed backbone

Abstract

As many European national research networks have already deployed high-speed backbones nationally, there is a growing demand for a European backbone supporting line speeds of 34 Mbit/s and more. Unlike in the USA, in Europe it is not possible yet to buy high-speed connectivity as a standard product from the PNO's, so that the R & D community is force to seek solutions on its own. This paper is based on the results of a survey carried out by DANTE in October 1994, in which all national research networks in Europe and some international user groups were asked to provide information about their current and future requirements with respect to a pan-European infrastructure. The results lead to the definition of services needed on a high-speed backbone. Based on this analysis, technical options are discussed, which are suitable to meet these service requirements. A possible implementation strategy is outlined which takes into account the feasibility of new technologies such as ATM. Several technical possibilities to physically implement the backbone are discussed on their overall benefit to the users of the backbone.