WO1997048202A1

WO1997048202A1 - Digital communication network

Info

Publication number: WO1997048202A1
Application number: PCT/US1997/009296
Authority: WO
Inventors: Elbert G. Tindell; Robert E. Horstman
Original assignee: Epoch Communications Corporation
Priority date: 1996-06-10
Filing date: 1997-06-09
Publication date: 1997-12-18
Also published as: EP0906674A4; EP0906674A1; EA199900007A1

Abstract

A system and method are provided for transmitting information over a non-circuit switched network (100). Information of all types is transmitted using a signal digital format. Analog signals are converted to the digital format prior to transmission over the network, and converted back to analog at the receiving end. Transmission between any two or more points (101-116) on the network is made without requiring any switched connections to be established.

Description

DIGITAL COMMUNICATION NETWORK

Description

Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to the field of communications, and more specifically to a network for transferring information between users and service providers located at remote locations. Background Art

In existing communication systems, information is most often communicated over systems which utilize circuit-switched networks for both voice and data. These networks use a variety of media to communicate information, including copper wire, fiber optic cable, microwaves, and satellites. For instance, most long distance telephone transmissions are communicated from one point to the next using microwave radio or fiber optic cables. Local telephone service is provided using twisted-pair copper wire. Thus, a telephone connection is treated as a series of point-to-point connections, and at least part of the connection actually is a dedicated physical connection between the parties. Cable television is delivered on coaxial copper wire as a broadcast-type service. Although there is not a switched circuit between the cable company and the viewer, there is a dedicated wire. Therefore, in some ways, cable and circuit-switched phone connections have important similarities.

Many times, phone and television communications are transmitted in an analog format. Due to this analog format, these systems are expensive to maintain, difficult to modify, and subject to noise interference from local sources. In an effort to overcome these disadvantages, some telephone and cable television companies are now deploying fiber optic loops in large cities to increase the quality and quantity of information provided to their customers. Circuit-switched networks primarily carry voice and other analog signals.

Depending upon the distance of the transmission, the signal may be transferred between several switches and utilize various transmission media. The analog signal may even be digitized for part of the connection, as when being transferred over a T1 line. However, the digital signal represents analog data, and differs in character from true data transmissions.

Data transmissions may also be sent as an analog signal over a circuit- switched network, or may be sent as digital signals over a packet network. When transmitted in an analog format, data is communicated using modulators/demodulator (modems). Modems convert digital data into analog signals for transmission over circuit-switched networks. Modems, however, can only provide for limited data rates due to the frequency bandwidth provided by the circuit-switched networks.

Packet transmissions provide for the digital transfer of blocks of data which include a source and destination address. These packets are relayed through a network from node to node, until the destination address is reached. Upon the receipt of a packet, each node reads the information contained in the packet to check it for errors. If no errors are detected, the node retransmits the packet to the next node. If errors are detected, the packet is retransmitted to the sending node. This method insures that the integrity of the data is maintained. However, data transmissions over packet networks tend to be slow and erratic.

The transmission of large amounts of digital information, such as high bandwidth signals like video, over today's circuit-switched networks requires long transmission times and/or expensive broadband circuits. For such types of transmissions, special circuits can be leased on a permanent basis, or can be used on a dial-up basis. The expense of these special circuits limits them to business usage or applications which require multiple receivers for a signal transmission. Individuals generally cannot afford to use these circuits for private purposes such as communication or entertainment. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a system and method to transmit analog and digital signals over a single network. This network should be relatively inexpensive, and easily available to both private individuals and business concerns. Disclosure of Invention

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a system and method for transmitting information over an integrated network which does not depend on switched circuits, modems, or packet relay methods.

It is yet another object of the present invention to transmit all signals, regardless of whether they were originally analog or digital, over the same network using the same media. The transmission of the signals must be affordable to both businesses and individuals.

It is still another object of the present invention to make use of the existing communications infrastructure, to the extent possible. The present invention must also employ an open architecture to provide the flexibility to adapt to new communication technologies.

Therefore, according to the present invention, a system and method are provided for transmitting information over a non-circuit switched network. Information of all types is transmitted using a single digital format. Analog signals are converted to the digital format prior to transmission over the network, and converted back to analog at the receiving end. Transmissions between any two or more points on the network is made without requiring any switched connections to be established. Brief Description of Drawings

The invention, including a preferred mode of use, further objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 illustrates a high level block diagram of a digital communication network according to the present invention;

Figure 2 illustrates how information may flow in a communications network arranged according to the present invention;

Figure 3 illustrates a more detailed view of a portion of the global network; Figure 4 depicts a more detailed view of a WAN device;

Figure 5 illustrates a more detailed view of a LAN device; and

Figures 6 illustrates how a portion of the network described in Figure 1 can be integrated into an existing communications network. Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention Figure 1 illustrates a high level block diagram of a digital communication network according to the present invention. At its lowest level, network 100 is comprised of a plurality of users. Users 101-116 can represent any one of a number of persons or organizations which need access to network 100. For instance, user 102 may represent a household of devices which send and receive information over network 100, while user 104 may represent a single PC in an office which needs access to network 100. Also, user 108 may represent a commercial establishment which verifies credit information over network 100.

Users 101-116 are connected to local area networks (LANs) 117-124. As will become apparent in the following discussion, LANs 117-124 do not correspond precisely to local area computer networks as referred to in the art. Instead, they are local area communication networks connecting together groups of users and traditional local area computer networks.

Users are connected to LANs via non-circuit-switched digital communication links. The connections between a LAN and its users are preferably a permanent point-to-point optical fiber connection. Non-circuit-switched communication links provide for dynamic bandwidth allocation to the various users, and hence, are more flexible than traditional switched communication links. In network 100, a single

LAN is directly connected to an office building, a neighborhood, or a small town. Thus, LANs 117-124 communicate with many more users than users 101-116, as shown in Figure 1. LANs 117-124 are in turn connected to wide area networks (WANs) 130-133, and WANs 130-133 are connected to enterprise networks 140 and 142. Enterprise networks 140 and 142 are connected to global network 150. Much like the connections between the users and the LANs, all of the communication links between the WANs, the enterprise networks, and the global networks are non-circuit-switched digital communication links. As before, all connections between a network and its neighbors, either above or below in the hierarchy are permanent fiber connections. In the preferred embodiment,

Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) devices handle the communications between the various networks.

Network 100 may be viewed as consisting of five different network layers: a user layer, a LAN layer, a WAN layer, an enterprise network layer, and a global network layer. Although five layers are shown in network 100, the exact number of layers in network 100 is not critical to its functionality. This is because each layer of network 100 is connected to the layer above and below it in a similar manner, and the functions performed at one layer are similar to the functions performed in other layers. Thus, the structure of the layers and the connections between the layers are similar throughout network 100, with the size, throughput capacity, storage ability, etc. being the factors that differentiate one layer from the next. For instance, in some applications WANs 130-133 may be missing, and LANs

117-124 may be connected directly to enterprise networks 140 and 142. This arrangement is possible because each layer of the network is connected to the next higher layer by means of a non-circuit-switched digital communication link. Further, this type of structure implies that there can be additional network layers that are not shown in Figure 1. Network layers can be added or subtracted depending upon the size of the total network, and upon the performance requirements of the network in general.

Communication between the various layers of network 100 preferably conform to international communication standards. Also, the various layers of network 100 have open architectures which allow them to accept various types of hardware and software communication devices. This type of architecture allows network 100 to be implemented using today's routers, bridges, ATM devices, etc.

An important feature of network 100 is the lack of intra-layer communication links. Thus, user 102 cannot communicate directly with user 101 , as this information must pass through LAN 117. Likewise, LAN 117 cannot communicate directly with LAN 120, as it must go through WAN 130, enterprise network 142 and back to WAN 131. This strict hierarchical scheme of organizing network 100 provides several advantages. First, this scheme makes packet routing very easy. For example, LAN 118 need only know that users 103 and 104 are connected to it. LAN 118 does not have to keep track of which peers (i.e., other LANs) are connected to it. Thus, LAN 118 does not need to store an extensive table of other LANs' addresses. This strict hierarchical scheme also allows devices to be easily added and removed from the various layers of network 100. If an additional user was connected to LAN 120, only LAN 120 would need to know of this added user's existence. In a scheme which permitted peer-to-peer communication, users 107 and

108 would also have to be informed about the addition of an extra user to LAN 120. In a similar manner, if a user is removed from a LAN, only that LAN needs to know about the removal. The other users connected to that LAN are unaffected.

The storage space within network 100 is efficiently managed to provide quick access to data, while also providing each user with a large amount of data storage. Each layer of network 100 contains devices for storing digital data. The capacity and complexity of these digital storage devices ranges from relatively simple hard disk drives attached to a user's computer, to large amounts of mechanically- retrievable optical storage in the global network layer.

Data belonging to a given user may be located in any layer of network 100. In general, the location of a particular data item in network 100 is determined by the frequency with which that data item is accessed . Information that is accessed often is located in the layers of network 100 closest to the user, whereas rarely accessed information is located in the upper layers of network 100. For instance, information which is a accessed by a user every day will probably be located in either the user layer or the LAN layer. Positioning the information in one of these two layers will allow the user to more quickly access the information than if it were stored in the enterprise network layer or the global network layer.

However, because the user can access information stored in the user layer and the LAN layer very quickly, the storage space in these two layers is very valuable, and only information that is accessed very often, or information whose quick access is important for overall system performance, is located in these layers. Information that is accessed less often is stored in the upper layers of the network, where the storage capacity is much greater. The price for this increased storage space is increased access time. For instance, archive files or other types of backup files can be stored at these higher levels (e.g., the enterprise network layer or the global network layer). At these upper levels, storage space is less expensive, and backup information can be more efficiently maintained.

The network management software of network 100 can automatically position information in the manner described above. For instance, if the storage device associated with a given user becomes full, the least used information will be moved to the LAN layer, thereby freeing space on the user's storage device. Likewise, if the storage devices associated with a particular LAN device become full, information that is accessed least often will be migrated to the WAN. This type of data migration will continue until information reaches the global network layer. When the information storage means of the global network layer becomes full, a decision has to be made to add additional storage capacity, or to discard information. However, a user can override the network management software, and can specify where a given set of data is to be stored.

The network management software also monitors the activities of individual users or services, and retains this information. This information is used to develop a network user history for each user or service. The history consists of user patterns of what services are used, when they are used, and network requirements to support these services. The network management software uses this history to anticipate the next request of the user, which communication links will be needed, and what network services and data files are likely to be used. The network management software also adjusts a visual menu over time. This menu conveniently presents the most recently utilized activities for rapid access, but also retains other selections normally available in the menu.

Figure 2 illustrates how information may flow in a communications network arranged according to the present invention. In a first example, user 202 wishes to communicate with user 204. User 202 sends an initial communication to LAN 216. LAN 216 receives this communication and checks to see if the communication was addressed to a user attached to itself. Upon finding that user 204 is attached to

LAN 216, LAN 216 forwards the communication to user 204. User 204 then responds to user 202 via LAN 216.

In a second example, user 202 wishes to communicate with user 206. In this instance, the communication of user 202 is received at LAN 216. LAN 216 realizes that user 206 is not attached to itself, and forwards the communication of user 202 to WAN 224. Upon receiving the communication of user 202, WAN 224 examines the destination address of the communication of user 202. This destination address contains within it information sufficient to identify all the devices within the intermediate layers which will handle the communication. Thus, the destination address of the communication of user 202 contains the address of LAN 218. WAN 224 determines that the communication of user 202 is directed towards a LAN which is connected to WAN 224. WAN 224 forwards this communication to LAN 218, which then forwards the communication to user 206.

In a final example, user 202 wishes to communicate with user 214. User 202 forms a communication containing an address and sends it to LAN 216. Upon receipt, LAN 216 examines the destination address of the communication of user 202. LAN 216 realizes that the user which user 202 wishes to communicate with is not connected to LAN 216. At this point, LAN 216 forwards the communication to WAN 224.

In a similar manner, WAN 224 realizes the LAN which user 202 wishes to communicate with is not connected to WAN 224, and WAN 224 communicates this message to enterprise network 228. Enterprise network 228 then sends the communication of user 202 to WAN 226. WAN 226 sends the communication of user 202 to LAN 222, which in turn sends the communication to user 214, thereby completing the communication.

The type of communication described above is transparent to the user whether two users connected to the same LAN are communicating with each other, or whether the user is communicating with a user which is connected to a entirely different enterprise network. The user only has to know the address of the device with which it wishes to communicate, and the network will forward that communication to the proper device. The process by which the network routes these communications is made simple due to the hierarchical nature of the network.

The preceding discussion has referred generally to communications between users, without specifying the nature of such communications. In the preferred implementation of the present invention, such nature will not be important. The users can be communicating data as is common between computer systems. They can also be communicating digitized and compressed speech, so that a telephone call is routed in the exact same manner as data. Further, the communication can be compressed real time video (e.g. , video conferencing), or any other type of data or information which is desirable to transfer to another user.

All analog data, such as speech and video, is digitized at the user's station or home before ever entering the communications network. It is then sent as packets of digital data, and routed in the identical manner as normal data. Because everything passing through the communications system is in the form of packets of data, routing and other handling is greatly simplified. A single optical fiber, to, for example, a person's home would transmit data, audio, and video, replacing current connections for phone, television, radio, computer data, and video conferencing. The contents of each data packet are not important to the communications system, and packets for different types of communications are freely mixed. Only the receiver is required to consolidate received packets and reconstruct the original information, such as audio or video, from the stream of data supplied by the communications system.

Figure 3 illustrates a more detailed view of a portion of the global network. Global network 302 includes four separate entities: ground base servers 308 and

310, and satellites 320 and 322. Although in Figure 1, the global network is shown as a single entity, in actuality, the global network is comprised of many individual computing and communication devices.

The servers in global network 302 communicate with each other in a variety of methods. Server 310 and server 308 communicate with each other via transoceanic link 312, or by using satellites 322 and 320. In a preferred embodiment, transoceanic link 312 is a series of fiber optic cables that have been placed underneath an ocean. Servers 308 and 310 can also communicate with each other via satellites 320 and 322. The ground based servers communicate with the satellites using radio waves in the form of a satellite uplink, examples of which are links 314 and 318. The satellites communicate between themselves using satellite- to-satellite link 316. Link 316 can be comprised of a set of laser transmitters and receivers. In another embodiment of the present invention, servers 308 and 310 can be implemented in satellites 320 and 322. When enterprise network device 306 wishes to communicate with enterprise network device 304, their communication will pass through global network 302, as described in the description of Figure 2. When the communication of device 306 is received by server 310, server 310 may send the communication of device 306 over both link 312 and 318. The dual transmissions of the communication from device 306 by server 310 ensures that server 308 receives this request in the least possible amount of time.

Depending on which link has the most traffic or other delays, server 308 will receive the communication of device 306 over link 314 or link 312 first. When this first copy of the communication of device 306 is received by server 308, server 308 will then forward this communication to device 304. When server 308 eventually receives the now redundant communication of device 306, server 308 will discard this communication. By sending information over two links at once, the information is guaranteed to be received in the shortest amount of time possible. Also, since the information has been sent twice, an element of redundancy is introduced into the system which helps to ensure the delivery of the message.

Figure 4 depicts a more detailed view of a WAN system. WAN 450 consists of servers 402, 404 and 406. Each of these servers is capable of serving many LANs. In the preferred embodiment, each of these servers would be located in a major metropolitan area. For example, the State of Texas may be served by several servers, including servers located in Houston, Dallas, and Waco.

As noted in Figure 4, each server may be comprised of many individual computing and communication devices. For instance, server 402 is depicted as containing computing and communication devices 414, 416, 418, and 420. In a similar manner, server 404 is comprised of devices 422 and 424, and server 406 includes device 426. These devices can be various servers, routers, ATM devices, storage devices and the like. Servers 402, 404, and 406 are connected by communication links 408, 410, and 412. Optimally, these communication links are optical fibers. As noted above, there are many LANs attached to each of these servers. When a LAN device attached to server 404 wishes to communication with a LAN device connected to server 402, the communication will first arrive at server 404. From there, server 404 can send this message out over links 410 and 412. Server 402 would ultimately receive the communication from server 404, and would forward this message to the LAN device attached to it. As described above, by sending the communication out over two separate communication links, server 404 ensures that the message will arrive at server 402 in the shortest amount of time possible. Figure 5 illustrates a more detailed view of a LAN subsystem. LAN 502 is comprised of server 512 and remote terminal units (RTUs) 504, 506, 508 and 510. Attached to these RTUs are splitters 514, 516, 518, 520, and 522. The end-users are attached to the splitters by means of an optical fiber or a coaxial copper line. In the preferred embodiment, each splitter can serve up to thirty users. In turn, each RTU can serve ten splitters, or 300 end-users. An RTU operates to route data originating from server 512 to the proper end-user, and also serves to concentrate the data coming from the various splitters into a single stream of data going to server 512. Server 512 is connected to a device which is in a WAN, such as server 404 as shown in Figure 4.

Figure 6 illustrates how a portion of the network described in Figure 1 can be integrated into an existing communications network. Users 602-610 are all connected to LAN 612. In the preferred embodiment, LAN 612 is an ATM type device. When users 602-610 communicate among themselves, they enjoy the benefits of the ATM technology contained within LAN 612. However, if user 604 wishes to communicate with a device not connected to LAN 612, LAN 612 will analyze this request to determine what service is requested (e.g., a phone call, an e-mail message, a video conference, etc.). When LAN 612 determines which service a user is requesting, LAN 612 routes this request to the proper interface card, and the interface card, by means of various A/D and D/A convertors, converts this request to the format required by the existing communications network 614. Likewise, if information from communications network 614 is being sent to a user connected to LAN 612, LAN 612 will receive this information, convert it to a non- circuit-switched digital format, and forward this information to the proper user.

The above described communication network provides many advantages over current communication networks. The network provides a single path for information entering and leaving a user, for example a person's house. The many varied forms of information typically entering a person's house today (broadcast television, broadcast radio, cable television, local phone service, security and alarm information, etc.) would be received on a single, non-circuit-switched digital communication link. As a consequence, the providers and receivers of the information being communicated to a person's house would also have to change the format in which they send and receive information. For example, the cable television providers and the local phone companies would have to adapt their equipment so they could send and receive non-circuit-switched information over the network. Although the change-over from traditional analog forms of communication to a fully digital, non-circuit-switched type of communication network will be gradual, the above-described network can ultimately be realized by this transition. Also, while television and phone services are being converted to provide non- circuit-switched digital information, existing LANs can begin to link together into WANs. The creation of these smaller networks will facilitate the creation of larger networks.

For example, LANs in the network shown in Figure 1 can utilize the coaxial copper wire that makes up a majority of the cable television plants and other wideband communication links, such as Ethernet. Once these LANs are operational, they can be connected using existing electronic networking equipment (e.g., bridges, routers, etc.) into WANs. These WANs can then be connected into enterprise networks, and the enterprise networks into global networks using ATM equipment.

A person connected to the LAN of the present invention would be able to send and receive information in larger amounts and at a higher quality than is available today. For example, all information entering and leaving a house would be carried over a single communication link, preferably a fiber optic cable (although initially, the coaxial cable television wires could be used). This information would be in the form of digital packets of varying length. Thus, one would not need separate AM antennas, FM antennas, TV antennas (or cable television wire), phone wires, etc., as all of this information would be consolidated into a single stream of information. A single interface unit at the house is responsible for placing all information onto the fiber in an orderly fashion, and for consolidating and directing any received information to the appropriate receiver (e.g., phone or television). The quality of these transmissions would be greatly enhanced over today's transmissions due to their digital nature. All audio information would have the quality of a compact disk, telephone transmissions would have a significantly improved sound quality, and video information would be much improved.

Also, the quantity of information available to a person would be significantly increased. A person would no longer have to be watching a certain television station at a particular time to view their favorite movie. Instead, entire libraries of movies would be stored at some location on the network, and would be available to a person at their leisure.

For example, in accordance with the storage scheme implemented by the network management software, "just released" movies are stored at the LAN or WAN layers. If the movie was stored at the LAN layer, the communication links between the LAN and the WAN would not be used when a person viewed the movie. The price of storing a movie at the LAN layer is that the movie has to be stored on each LAN. Thus, there is a tradeoff between not having to communicate the movie between the various network layers and consuming storage space at the lower layers of the network. On the other hand, old, rarely viewed movies are stored at the enterprise or global network layers. When a person wishes to view a movie stored at these layers, the movie is transmitted from the global network to an enterprise network to a WAN to a LAN, then to the person. Thus, viewing a movie that is stored in the upper layers of the network involves many more inter-layer communication links than if the movie were stored at a LAN, but the movie is stored at only a few places on the network, and not at every LAN.

In such a system, only live television and radio broadcast need to be constantly transmitted to the end users. All other programming is stored elsewhere and viewed at the user's convenience. By not constantly transmitting hundreds of television and radio stations to a person's house (as is done today), the amount of television and radio information transmitted to a person is drastically reduced and communication bandwidth is conserved. This conserved bandwidth reduces the cost of the network as a whole and makes other services available (e.g., video telephone calls, high-speed Internet access, etc.). However, the nature of the system allows instant access to significantly greater amounts of material than is currently available.

While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to a preferred embodiment, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A non-circuit switched digital communications network, comprising: a plurality of end stations which can send and received information via the non-circuit switched digital communications network; a local area network (LAN) layer, having a plurality of LANs, each LAN having digital storage and processing means, the LAN layer being digitally connected to the plurality of end stations; a wide area network (WAN) layer, having a plurality of WANs, each WAN having digital storage and processing means, the WAN layer being digitally connected to the LAN layer; an enterprise network layer, having a plurality of enterprise networks, each enterprise network having digital storage and processing means, the enterprise network layer being digitally connected to the WAN layer; and a global network layer, having at least one global network, each global network having digital storage and processing means, the global network layer being digitally connected to the enterprise network layer, wherein information sent from a first end station to a second end station travels from the first end station to a network which is common with the second end station, wherein the information is then routed to the second end station.

2. The non-circuit switched digital communications network as recited in claim 1 , wherein the LAN layer, WAN layer, enterprise network layer, and global network layer have an information retrieval time which defines a length of time to retrieve information and to communicate the information to the end stations, the information retrieval time growing subsequently longer from the LANs to the WANs to the enterprise networks to the global networks; the non-circuit switched digital communications network being operable in a first mode of operation, wherein: digital data is stored in the LAN layer, the WAN layer, the enterprise network layer, and the global network layer based upon the information retrieval time of the layer and how frequently the digital data is accessed, with frequently accessed digital data being stored in layers with relatively short information retrieval times, and non-frequently accessed digital data being stored in layers with relatively long information retrieval times.

3. The non-circuit switched digital communications network as recited in claim 2, wherein the first mode of operation further includes: monitoring how frequently a selected portion of the digital data is accessed over a period of time; and moving the selected portion of the digital data from one layer to another based on changes in the frequency at which the selected portion of the digital data is accessed.

4. The non-circuit switched digital communications network as recited in claim 1 , further comprising: a receiver located at one of a home and an office, wherein the information being communicated over the non-circuit switched digital communications network includes television signals, telephone signals, and digital data, and the receiver receives the information and distributes the television signals to television receivers, the telephone signals to telephones, and the digital data to computer devices.

5. The non-circuit switched digital communications network as recited in claim 1 , wherein the global network layer includes satellites which function as servers, and which communicate directly with each other.

6. The non-circuit switched digital communications network as recited in claim 1 , wherein information being sent from a first device in a first layer to a second device in a second layer is transmitted over independent communication links, thereby allowing for the information to be transferred redundantly.

7. The non-circuit switched digital communications network as recited in claim 1 , wherein the non-circuit switched digital communications network continuously broadcasts live information to the end stations and sends prerecorded information to the end stations upon demand.

8. A method of communicating information using a non-circuit switched digital communications network, comprising: providing a plurality of end stations which can send and received information via the non-circuit switched digital communications network; providing a local area network (LAN) layer, having a plurality of LANs, each LAN having digital storage and processing means, the LAN layer being digitally connected to the plurality of end stations; providing a wide area network (WAN) layer, having a plurality of WANs, each WAN having digital storage and processing means, the WAN layer being digitally connected to the LAN layer; providing an enterprise network layer, having a plurality of enterprise networks, each enterprise network having digital storage and processing means, the enterprise network layer being digitally connected to the WAN layer; providing a global network layer, having at least one global network, each global network having digital storage and processing means, the global network layer being digitally connected to the enterprise network layer; sending information from a first end station to a second end station, wherein the information travels from the first end station to a particular network in a particular network layer, where the particular network is connected to both the first and second end stations; and routing the information from the particular network to which the first and second end stations are connected to the second end station.

9. The method of communicating information as recited in claim 8, further comprising: defining an information retrieval time for the LAN layer, WAN layer, enterprise network layer, and global network layer, the information retrieval time being a length of time to retrieve information and to communicate the information to the end stations, the information retrieval time growing subsequently longer from the LANs to the WANs to the enterprise networks to the global networks; storing digital data in the LAN layer, WAN layer, enterprise network layer, and global network layer based upon the information retrieval time associated with the layer and how frequently the digital data is accessed, with frequently accessed digital being stored in layers with relatively short information retrieval times, and non-frequently accessed digital data being stored in layers with relatively long information retrieval times.

10. The method of communicating information as recited in claim 9, further comprising: monitoring the frequency at which a selected portion of the digital data is accessed over a period of time; and moving the selected portion of the digital data from one layer to another based on changes in the frequency at which the selected portion of the digital data is accessed.

11 . The non-circuit switched digital communications network as recited in claim 8, further comprising: providing a receiver located at one of a home and an office; and distributing television signals, telephone signals, and digital data received over the non-circuit switched digital communications network to television receivers, telephones, and computer devices, respectively.

12. The method of communicating information as recited in claim 9, wherein the global network layer includes satellites which function as servers, and which communicate directly with each other.

13. The method of communicating information as recited in claim 8, further comprising: sending information from a first device in a first layer to a second device in a second layer over independent communication links, thereby allowing for the information to be transferred redundantly.

14. The non-circuit switched digital communications network as recited in claim 8, further comprising: continuously broadcasting live information to the end stations; and sending prerecorded information to the end stations upon demand.