Telecommunications Information Networking Architecture

While voice traffic still dominates in telecommunication networks, there is a steady increase in the traffic of other types of information. The adoption of ATM and SDH in broadband networks will provide a flexible and service-independent standard for switching and transport infrastructure that is capable of supporting all information transfer requirements. To exploit this flexibility, the software architecture of telecommunication services and systems must be equally flexible. The Telecommunications Information Networking Architecture (TINA) is an architecture based on state-of-the-art distributed processing and service delivery technologies that will enable the efficient introduction, delivery, management and maintenance of telecommunications services and systems. The specification of this architecture is the principle objective of the recently established TINA Research Consortium. The authors present an overview of the technical activities of this Consortium.