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Industry Insight April 2000  Jim Machi IP Versus ATM: It's No
Debate    At least once every week someone asks my opinion on
when IP will replace ATM. Since I'm getting a bit tired of the
question, let's set this straight. While ATM and IP do offer
some competing methods to packetize voice, they co-exist in most
networks -- and will continue to for some time.   The real
debate is this: Which is the better solution? Packets over SONET
(POS)? Or IP over ATM? Today this debate is mainly among network
engineers working for service providers. But it will become an
increasingly important issue as more voice traffic migrates to
IP.  As in most debates, both sides have some advantages and
there is no one best answer. The right solution will depend on
the operating environment and business model where the
technology will be used.  Getting Down To Basics To understand
some of the points being argued, it's essential to understand
some basic technical issue