ATM networks have been touted as “one of the few networks that can provide the real-time and quality of service guarantees required for new multimedia data types”. However, as the networks become larger, busier and more complex, fulfilling this quality of service guarantee will not be a simple task. What are the end effects or the service layer effects if the quality of service (QoS) is less than expected? If cells are lost in a data communications application, retransmission may be required. If cells are delayed, timers may expire causing even more delays. In a video-on-demand service, if the cell delay variation in the ATM network increases due to congestion, the buffers in a set-top box may begin to underflow causing blanking or jagged movements.