COMPTEL Goes Ethernet

This week I attended COMPTEL at the Gaylord in Grapevine Texas. Broadvox has a suite for meeting with potential clients and partners but for the first time no booth. We will see if that strategy worked by measuring our ROI on just the suite versus having both. However, interspersed with my meetings was time to visit the show floor.

COMPTEL is a show where the convention floor is somewhat quiet as there are so many meetings in suites and, of course, the deal room. Yet, it was with interest in seeing what was new that I entered the exhibit hall. There were the usual billing and tax software solutions, traffic measurement, some hardware vendors but I focused on the Ethernet providers. Metro Ethernet, Ethernet over DSL, Ethernet over Copper and even an Ethernet exchange by Neutral Tandem were promoted during the show.

As it is important to understand these trends, I picked up some primers to study when these technologies are the right choices, their benefits and capabilities. Knowing more about Ethernet as a connectivity choice beyond T1s and Bonded T1s is very important. With Ethernet speeds switchable up to 1 gig, the flexibility far exceeds T1s and the cost is tremendously less. VARs and agents would do well to prepare to sell these new products.

Today, Broadvox offers Ethernet over copper and Ethernet over bonded SDSL. We have sold a few of the latter and are tracking their initial implementations. While Ethernet over copper is expected to grow rapidly, the demand currently is very low. The vendors pushing Ethernet at COMPTEL know this but are positioning their networks for the next wave. My projection is that Ethernet network connectivity supporting VoIP should have a perceivable share of the market in late 2011/early 2012.

So be prepared and hit the books.