WHAT USERS WANT

The needs of users are presented from the viewpoint of someone who is both a demanding network and computer user, and has major responsibilities for the funding, design, installation and operation of network and computing systems. The current expectations of most users require speeds of about 64 kbits/s, but in the near future many users will want about 1 Mbyte/s to meet their reasonable needs. Future applications needing 100 times more bandwidth are easy to identify. An attempt to meet these needs with a single general purpose network is doomed to failure. It will be necessary to make use of current fiber/G703 technology to create manageable subnetworks for demanding ″mission-oriented″ user communities. It will also be essential to provide a European network infrastructure at prices based only on sound, forward looking, commercial considerations.