ITB has developed an architectural framework of a communication network and a method of establishing a Quality of Service connection communication in the public network. The architecture allows an end to end QoS connection which is technologically independent and can be easily blended into the existing infrastructure of a communication network.

The architectural framework of a communication network comprises of a plurality of Autonomous Systems (ASs) connected to one another, each AS is optionally connected to one or more users at least one AS Designated Quality of Service Provider Entity (ADE) and at least one gateway communicating with the respective ADE. Each AS communicating with another AS through the respective gateways, each ADE is technologically independent and having information of the resources allocated in the respective AS and being designed to initiate and establish a data path set up within the respective AS through the respective gateways based on the underlying technologies of said gateway and a pre-defined set of Quality of Service (QoS) requirements, an ADE of the first AS is designed to enquire with the rest of the ADEs upon a signal from a user for deciding and establishing an optimum path of data flow from the user of the first AS to another user of another AS, the optimum path is satisfied by the pre-defined set of QoS requirements.

The system is designed to initiate and establish a data path set up within the respective AS through the respective nodes and gateways based on the underlying technologies of said nodes and gateways and a pre-defined set of Quality of Service (QoS) requirements, an ADE of the first AS is designed to enquire with the rest of the ADEs upon a signal from a user for deciding and establishing an optimum path of data flow from the user of the first AS to another user of another AS, the optimum path satisfying the predefined set of QoS requirements. The first and last ASs are connected to users and an ADE of the first AS is designed to enquire with the rest of the ADEs upon a signal from the said respective user for deciding and establishing an optimum path of data flow from the user of the first AS to the user of last AS, said optimum path satisfying the pre-defined set of QoS requirements.

In the invention there is also provided a method of establishing an end to end Quality of Service (QoS) connection in a in a communication network of a plurality of Autonomous Systems (ASs) connected to one another, each AS being optionally connected to one or more users, said method comprising the steps of providing each AS with at least one technologically independent AS Designated Quality of Service provided Entity (ADE), at least one gateway and a node, the ADE having information of the resources is allocated to the respective AS; signaling the ADE of the ASs by the user for determining an optimum path of data flow from the said ADE to the last ADE through their respective gateways satisfying a pre-defined set of Quality of Service (QoS) parameters; reserving and establishing said determined path of data flow based on the underlying technologies of the gateways and nodes and said predefined QoS parameters.