A data transmission technology based on transmitting
data in relatively small, fixed-size
packets or
cells. Each cell contains only basic path information that allows switching devices to route the cell quickly. Cell relay systems can reliably carry live
video and audio because cells of fixed size arrive in a more predictable way than systems with packets or
frames of varying size.
Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) is the cell relay standard set by the CCITT organization. ATM uses a cell of 53 bytes.