Traditionally, computer communication networks have been optimized with respect to throughput, robustness and absolute delay, with little or no concern for the variation in delay ("jitter") induced by the network. It is now desirable that high speed networks support a greater range of telecommunication services by providing a multi-service environment. If the transmission of jitter-sensitive traffic is not to be arbitrarily precluded, then new protocol architectures must take account of, and provide support for, the constraint of jitter.
The ATM approach to broadband networking is presently being pursued within the CCITT (and elsewhere) as the unifying mechanism for the support of service integration, rate adaption, and jitter control within the lower layers of the network architecture. This position paper is specifically concerned with the jitter arising from the design of the "middle" and "upper" layers that operate within the end systems and relays of multi-service networks (MSNs).
