ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) networks are widely considered to be the new protocol for high speed communication systems, both for broadband information highways and for local and wide area networks. This book provides the reader with an authoritative overview of the subject and presents the latest findings from leading edge research in the area, concentrating particularly on the way ATM is being developed with early services in mind. The key issue of how ATM can provide different services is discussed, focusing on issues relating to the control quality of service. Written by research and development engineers at the British Telecommunications Laboratories, this book is essential reading for engineers in telecommunications operating companies working in network design and related fields, engineers in telecommunications and computer companies working on systems design, broadband equipment vendors and postgraduate and research students of telecommunications and computing.