Performance and flow control mechanisms, which represent ATM (asynchronous transfer mode) flexibility, are discussed. To control performance, delay- and/or loss-sensitive service classes, and two mechanisms to realize these classes, are proposed. It is shown that it is possible to have better performance than with other mechanisms, such as no-class distinction or simple priority methods. It is further suggested that this performance controllability results in the provision of multiple logical services, including quasi-STM (synchronous transfer mode; compatible with circuit switching), by an ATM network. ATM flow control is based on a call-oriented resource allocation mechanism similar to circuit switching. The concepts of call/line bit rate ratio and multiplexing degree are seen to be significant for efficient use of resources. When the network handles calls with large call/line bit rate ratios, user-specified flow control parameters at the call setup phase are important for resource assignment. The definition of two types of maximum throughput of each call and its usage for resource management are proposed.>