Public IP transport network

A wide area communications network for serving a plurality of defined geographic areas served by a switched telephone network comprising:

• a plurality of central office switching systems in said telephone network in said geographic areas connected to a plurality of premises terminals in premises served by said switching systems in said geographic areas;
• a switched multimegabit data service (SMDS) network spanning said geographic areas, said SMDS network having a plurality of connection points coupled to a respective one of a plurality of Internet Service Providers (ISPs);
• a frame relay network spanning said geographic areas;
• at least one data hub node in each said geographic area;
• each said at least one data hub node being connected to said SMDS network and to said frame relay network;
• each said at least one data hub node including a gateway router connected via a packet switch and at least one access server to one of said central office switching systems, said access server being connected to one of said plurality of premises terminals via a switched path through a central office switching system in response to a dial up call from said one terminal;
• a central maintenance center for monitoring and maintaining said wide area communications network, said central maintenance center being connected to said SMDS network and to said frame relay network and through said SMDS and frame relay networks to said data hub nodes;
• said central maintenance center monitoring and maintaining said wide area communications network through said SMDS and frame relay networks and said at least one data hub node.