I've been doing a lot reading the last few days on the advantages of "PPP over SONET/SDH" vs "IP over ATM AAL5". The available information bandwidth of roughly 150 Mbps out of 155.5 Mbps with STS-3c/STM-1 makes the PPP over SONET solution very attractive. I understand that SONET facilities are widely deployed throughout the carriers' broadband infrastructures but when will it become practical to run packet data over these facilities? I am aware that Cisco is planning to provide an OC-3/STM-1 interface in the 3d quarter but what about other hardware vendors? When will carriers be ready to support this service? Are multiplexers available or planned for the near future? Are there carrier-to-carrier issues that need to be worked out? Any information on this subject is very much appreciated. Thank you. -Camil ===================================================================================== Camil Samaha Senior Network Engineer Thomson Electronic Information Resources csamaha@teir.com =====================================================================================