Abstract: A communications network, for example forming a local exchange carrier telephone network, utilizes three layers of fiber optic rings. The point of demarcation between customer premises media and network media comprises an intelligent soft network interface device or “soft NID”. First layer rings carry telephone and data communications between the soft NIDs and remote terminals. Several remote terminals in an area communicate via one of the next higher level rings to a host digital terminal. The host digital terminals communicate with each other via a backbone optical fiber ring, and a media gateway controller on this ring provides high level service logic. The remote terminals and preferably the host digital terminals are service switching points (SSPs), for intelligent services provided by the network. Local legacy switches connect to remote terminals, whereas a router on the backbone provides communications to other networks, including legacy long distance networks.

Abstract: For communications interface across the line of demarcation between the customer premises media and a link of a public digital broadband communication network, a network interface device is “soft” in that it is adaptable to different service applications and readily programmable from both the network-side and the customer-side. A network-side interface provides a communications connection to a broadband network link at an edge of the digital broadband network. A customer-side interface provides communications connection to one or more media in the customer premises, for example, to telephone and LAN wiring within the premises. The soft network interface device also includes a data processing system, for controlling at least some of the communications through the interfaces. The data processing system is capable of being programmed with network service provisioning data from the public network as well as with user programming received from the customer premises.

Abstract: A digital network delivers multiplexed channels to a customer premises. Each multiplexed channel contains a digitally multiplexed data stream including digitized broadband information relating to a number of programs. At the customer premise, a shared processing system includes several channel selectors and program selectors. Each channel selector selects one of the multiplexed channels, and each program selector selects digitized broadband information relating to a selected program from a selected channel. A multiplexer combines the selected digitized broadband information from the program selectors into a transport stream. A transmitter system, for example comprising a digital modulator, a spread spectrum modulator and a broadcast antenna, provides a wireless broadcast of the digital transport stream throughout the customer premise and possibly one or more near by premises.