World-class hardware and transmission design

Abstract

To serve the global marketplace effectively, AT&T's private branch exchange (PBX) hardware must be adaptable to a wide range of technical and regulatory environments quickly and at minimal cost. To control the potential expense of resolving hardware problems in remote areas, a high level of system reliability must be ensured. This paper presents the reasons for providing hardware adaptability and outlines seven dimensions of the global design problem. It also explores issues confronted in creating the proper degree of hardware flexibility, the design technologies used to address these issues, and AT&T's current, overall approach to global hardware engineering.