System supporting variable bandwidth asynchronous transfer mode network access for wireline and wireless communications

A telephone communications system accessing an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) transport network, comprising:

• a telephone exchange;
• at least one first access node connected to the ATM transport network;
• a transport network management system connected to a certain access node of the ATM transport network;
• and
• a communications link connecting the telephone exchange and the at least one first access node;
• wherein the telephone exchange and each first access node include an interface for communicating voice information over the communications link using a communications bit stream that includes delimiting bits for specifying add/drop multiplexing of a plurality of telecommunications voice channels;
• wherein the communications bit stream further includes an embedded operation channel carrying system operation and maintenance information for delivery to and from the transport network management system;
• and
• wherein the at least one first access node includes means for converting between the communications bit stream carried over the communications link and ATM cells carried over the ATM transport network.

A telephone communications system accessing an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) transport network, comprising:

• a plurality of wireline telephone terminals communicating over a plurality of voice channels;
• a concentrator connected to the plurality of wireline telephone terminals;
• at least one first access node connected to the ATM transport network;
• a transport network management system connected to a certain access node of the ATM transport network;
• and
• a communications link connecting the concentrator and the at least one first access node;
• wherein the concentrator and each first access node include an interface for communicating voice information over the communications link using a communications bit stream that includes delimiting bits for specifying at the concentrator add/drop multiplexing of the plurality of voice channels;
• wherein the communications bit stream further includes an embedded operation channel carrying system operation and maintenance information for delivery to and from the transport network management system;
• and
• wherein the first access node includes means for converting between the communications bit stream carried over the communications link and ATM cells carried over the ATM transport network.

An asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) communications system, comprising:

• an ATM transport network;
• a first node;
• a first communications link connecting the first node to the ATM transport network;
• a second node;
• a second communications link connecting the second node to the ATM transport network;
• a transport network management system connected to the first node;
• and
• wherein the first and second nodes comprise ATM access nodes and further include means for converting communications to ATM cells carried over the first and second communications links and the ATM transport network;
• wherein the bit stream basic block further includes an embedded operation channel carrying system operation and maintenance information for delivery to and from the transport network management system;
• and
• wherein the first node includes a handler functionality for inserting and extracting system operation and maintenance information into and from the embedded operation channel of the bit stream basic block.

A telephone communications system accessing an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) transport network, comprising:

• a telephone exchange;
• a first access node connected to the ATM transport network;
• a first communications link connecting the telephone exchange and the first access node;
• a plurality of base stations effectuating radio frequency communications with subscriber mobile stations over a first plurality of voice channels;
• a base station concentrator connected to the plurality of base stations;
• a second access node connected to the ATM transport network;
• a second communications link connecting the base station concentrator and the second access node;
• a plurality of wireline telephone terminals communicating over a second plurality of voice channels;
• a wireline concentrator connected to the plurality of wireline telephone terminals;
• a third access node connected to the ATM transport network;
• a third communications link connecting the wireline concentrator and the third access node;
• a transport network management system connected to either the first, second or third access node;
• wherein the telephone exchange, base station concentrator, wireline concentrator and the first, second and third access nodes each include an interface for communicating voice information over the first, second and third communications links using a communications bit stream that includes delimiting bits for specifying add/drop multiplexing of the first and second pluralities of voice channels;
• wherein the communications bit stream further includes an embedded operation channel carrying system operation and maintenance information for delivery to and from the transport network management system;
• and
• wherein the first, second and third access nodes include means for converting between the communications bit stream carried over the first, second and third communications links and ATM cells carried over the ATM transport network.