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"GEE WHIZ" ATM APPLICAITONS ON THE HORIZON

 
Nathan Felde, executive director of multimedia communications at the 
NYNEX Science & Technology laboratory in Cambridge, Mass., waxes 
evangelical about the potential of Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) 
applications. After touring his surroundings at the NYNEX Science & 
Technology Center, it's easy to see why. 

In one area, three people sit at a large color monitor viewing a 
sophisticated multimedia cardiology application that includes 
simultaneous full-motion video, audio and graphics applications 
being shared between two doctors. In a nearby air-conditioned room, 
a prototype ATM switch capable of switching 2.4 gigabits is being 
tested. All around, there are circuits and monitors and wires 
connecting them. 

Next to the switch room, Felde takes a seat, puts on his microphone 
and dials a colleague in White Plains, N.Y. But this is not your 
normal telephone call. When Eddie Singh answers, his full-motion 
image appears on a six-inch screen attached to Felde's computer. 

"Hi, Eddie," Felde says. "Hi, Nathan," Singh replies in hi-fi audio, 
as co-workers walk around in the room behind him. 

Felde and Singh chat informally in a manner reminiscent of George 
Jetson and his boss, Mr. Spacely. For them, this fantastic 
connection _ which consumes an entire T-3 hunk of bandwidth _ is 
something they take for granted. For the uninitiated, however, it is 
a fascinating glimpse at the future. 

"This is the beginning of making broadband available to millions of 
part-time users, much the way people use the phone today, " Felde 
states. "Time is now the scarce resource, but bandwidth is an 
abundant resource, and we want to make it available on demand."