Quality-of-Service in Evolving Telecommunications Networks

This paper addresses the problem of achieving overall quality-of-service of telecommunications networks in North America, following the divestiture of AT&T and the resulting competitive multivendor environment. The paper outlines an approach based on \bullet a top-down process in which quality-of-service is designed into networks by individual network vendors in cooperation with coordinating standards bodies, and \bullet a bottom-up process in which quality-of-service is verified and controlled under actual network operating conditions.