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Yet the options available when going on your own are pretty compelling. By building out your own circuits and switches, you'll maintain better control over the network itself and have more opportunity for growth in the future. Technologies such as Switched Virtual Circuits and PNNI have been very slow to appear in public network services, although they offer distinct benefits to the customer. However, the cost in capital expense, leased line/SONET services, and ongoing management is well beyond the reach of many organizations.

A hybrid public/private approach is worthy of consideration. By outsourcing basic service to a carrier - particularly smaller branch offices, data-only connectivity, and international service - customers can realize some cost saving benefits. Private service could be built out to connect larger business centers, especially where internal voice and video traffic is quite high (see HYBRID diagram to the left)

Note that it is also possible to tunnel SVC traffic signaling across a PVC-based public network and realize the cost benefits of public ATM carrier transport services and the power of SVCs for real time traffic.