Northern UTA220/UTA220k Manuel D’Utilisation

4-1

This chapter provides information to help you set up and use 
your Terminal Adaptor (TA). For users unfamiliar with TAs, 
some fundamental Integrated Services Digital Network 
(ISDN) concepts are presented first. If you are already familiar 
with ISDN you may skip over this section, but the ISDN 
Switches and the ISDN Addresses and Identifiers sections 
contain information pertinent to the switch configuration of the 
TA and should be reviewed.

ISDN is a global system that provides a variety of high-speed 
digital telecommunication services including voice, data, 
images, and video, integrated on one network. As ISDN 
evolves it will provide the same types of services as the existing 
analog networks (voice and low-speed data), plus new services 
made possible by recent advances in computers and digital data 
communications.

ISDN is based on standards that define the interfaces between 
the network and the equipment connected to it. This 
standardization permits communication between ISDN 
systems and equipment manufactured by different vendors 
world wide.

ISDN standards are set by the International Consultative 
Committee for Telegraph and Telephone (CCITT), an 
organization that establishes communications 
recommendations under the auspices of the United Nations.

Because ISDN technology advances faster than the CCITT can 
establish standards, a number of de-facto standards have been 
developed by manufacturers of telephone equipment. While 
these set the precedence for CCITT standards eventually 
agreed to, there are enough differences that those who set up 
ISDN equipment (such as TAs) must be aware of them.

The U.S.A. and Canada have an ISDN standard for North 
America called National ISDN. The first version of this 
standard, National ISDN One (NI-1), is being adopted by 
equipment manufacturers and network providers. When fully 
deployed, NI-1 will make understanding and configuring 
ISDN equipment easier and more efficient.