Caution hails Lan speed record

The high bandwidth network battle between ATM and the emerging Gigabit Ethernet standard has reached a new level, with the announcement that a French team of technicians has broken the 1Gbps barrier over a Lan using standard components.

The team at Inrea research laboratory claims to have a protocol that achieves 97 per cent throughput capacity.

The news received a frosty reaction from users and analysts alike.

Principal consultant at Ovum John Mathews believes the technology's uses are limited. "It is a short term answer. IP and ATM switching are the way forward, not expanding network capacity," he said.

Malcolm Wylie, IT contract manager at Cambridge City Council, said: "We have to protect our investment in infrastructure before thinking about high bandwidth solutions."

A source close to telephone banking service First Direct said: "ATM is the way First Direct would look as it delivers the bandwidth it needs right now."

David Campbell, principal IS officer at Kent County Council, added: "The cost of replacing every card (on 500 desktops) will be astronomical. With the same cards and cable, you can ramp up speed with ATM."

Additional reporting by the VNU Newswire.