An ATM-based telecommunications infrastructure for the New Mexico national guard

Considerable energy and attention have been devoted to the technical aspects of Asynchronous Transfer Mode over the past few years. While the successful resolution of technical issues is essential to the widespread use and implementation of ATM; we must remember that the end objective is to provide an efficient telecommunications transport infrastructure which benefits the end user. While there may be an intuitive appeal related to the integration of voice, video and data traffic over a common network infrastructure, the actual benefit must come from reduced costs and increased flexibility Once an ATM-based infrastructure is implemented in a geographic area, there is a strong potential for benefits to flow to other entities which are related either organizationally or geographically. The State of New Mexico and the New Mexico Army National Guard provide an outstanding case study of this type of synergy. The situation in New Mexico is unique in a number of ways. It is a single-LATA state, which simplifies ATM-related efforts from a technical, legal and regulatory perspective. On the other hand, it is a largely rural state, which complicates the economics of statewide deployment of ATM-based infrastructure components. However, the presence of the New Mexico National Guard in communities across the state provides a strong "anchor tenant" situation where the needs of one large organization can serve as a catalyst for the benefit of related organizations in the state. This paper will focus on the State of New Mexico, where an ATM-based infrastructure has been successfully implemented for the New Mexico Army National Guard. The realization of substantial cost-savings, tremendous increases in network capacities and capabilities, and the extension of new applications to communities across the state provides an excellent example of military/civilian partnership and illustrates how the long-awaited promise of ATM is manifesting itself in real-life situations.