Given the importance of IP(v4) in the current use of computer networks and the
upcoming need for multicasting on the Internet it is, in my opinion,
likely that at some point ATM will support a form of abstract multicast
addressing. This would make the implementation of IP multicasting
on an ATM network less complex and remove the lack of support for
multipoint-to-multipoint transmissions on ATM.
IPv6, the future protocol of the Internet, supports similar abstract
multicast addresses and adds anycast
addresses, so the need for this kind of
addressing remains, at least in the near future.