ATM is much faster than frame relay, able to transfer both data and voice at rates ranging from 25Mbps to 100Mbps, but for a variety of reasons it has been slow to catch on as a popular network technology. At one point, Nebraska considered deploying a private, statewide network using fiber-optic cables. But economics prevailed and the state worked with local exchange carriers to build a statewide frame-relay network. In operation for three years now, frame relay is helping the state's agricultural, social service, educational and law enforcement agencies share data between different LANs. Cities and counties within the state also have access to the frame-relay network and can share data efficiently and inexpensively.
Cost savings is considered a big benefit when using frame relay.
Other frame-relay users have quoted savings as low as 10 percent and as high as 70 percent. Frame relay also provides the amount of bandwidth that governments need today. Agencies will find that frame relay can transmit data at rates that are four times faster than lines used for SNA traffic. While frame relay currently has a limit of 1.5Mbps, most government applications don't need more than that. The Frame Relay Forum, a user's group, estimates that 80 percent of frame-relay users run their networks at 56Kbps.