[bewo001]

I once worked in a project where the plan was to have 3 switches in a box, ethernet, ATM, and TDM. The 622 Mbps ATM switch chip was much more expensive than a 1 Gig-Ethernet chip. So ATM was dropped pretty quickly from the concept.

ATM-based DSL was a compromise of the different factions inside telcos. The 'net heads' got a fast Internet access technology. The 'Bell heads' got ATM into every home in preparation of all the glorious ATM applications that would be available any moment now.