Increasing demand for advanced voice‐and‐facsimile network services has motivated the recent introduction of an important, new, programmable network element: AT&T's A‐I‐Net™ service‐circuit node. This new network element complements existing network switching and database elements by providing internal network access to a programmable node that has highly specialized service circuits. These circuits support network services that involve the synthesis, interpretation, repetition, or translation of voiceband information. Although the central‐office and operations‐support interfaces we describe are designed for the United States market, the service‐circuit node provides a flexible base for supporting interfaces that are appropriate for other markets, too. As service‐circuit technology continues to advance to support complex, image‐processing functions (e.g., facsimile or speaker recognition), service providers will require greater flexibility for developing services that use these functions. An applications‐development environment, based on application‐oriented‐language technology, enables service providers to introduce new capabilities rapidly into existing networks.

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