An intelligent network is a computer network in which the network is in control of application creation and operation. Relatively dumb terminal and devices on the network periphery access centralized network services on behalf of their users. The owners of the network are in complete charge of the type and quantity of applications that exist on the network.

An intelligent network is most suited for applications in which reliability and security are prime requirements. Application software is centralized and so can be rigorously verified before deployment. This large scale of the network and the ability to verify application operation allows such networks to address very complicated tasks. The costs of development and testing may be spread across many users.

An example of an intelligent network is the public telephone network PSTN. Reliability is essential in this network since failures can seriously affect business operation and the summoning of emergency services. The telephone network architecture is termed the Advanced Intelligent Network or AIN. Applications are centralized on a network of high level telephone switches called SCPs or service control points. Users access services from dumb devices homed on low level switches called service transmission points or STPs. STPs monitor service requests from users and refer to service logic contained on the SCPs to determine which operation to take in response. Network reliability is enhanced by this architecture. However users are not able to obtain customized operation beyond some simple parameterization.

The intelligent network architecture is at one extreme of a continuum of network architectures. It should be contrasted with the dumb network architecture.

Network architecture