ATM is also an advanced form of packet-switching. It is a broadband method that transmits data in 53-byte cells. Each cell consists of 48 bytes of data and five bytes of header information. Therefore, the packets that are generated are consistent and uniform. ATM can be used with any media.
ATM switches are multiport devices that can act as either hubs or routers. In architectures, such as Ethernet and Token Ring where only one computer at a time may transmit, ATM uses switches as multiplexers to permit several computers to put data on a network.
Note: In asynchronous transmission, data is transmitted as a stream. Each character is converted into a string of bits. Each string is separated from the other strings by a start bit and a stop bit. In this method, there is no device or method to coordinate transmission between the sender and the receiver.