In this paper, a design concept that offers ATM-VP connections with different protection levels is presented. The users have the choice to select the protection level they wish, the network transport service they need, and the worst cell loss they can tolerate at call set up time, and pay accordingly. Besides, an advanced adaptive traffic control scheme that simplifies call and cell processing is also presented. Many important functions such as call admission, VC-bandwidth reservation, cell-level congestion control, etc. are efficiently performed at the boundary of the backbone network. In this way is given a suitable answer to the important question: "How can future telecommunication networks based on ATM provide services with customized availability ?". A platform that outlines the potential interaction between restoration methods and congestion avoidance schemes is also obtained.