THE QUIET REVOLUTION
September 24, 2006
THE QUIET REVOLUTION. Check it out:(Telephony Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) SUBTLETY IS NOT A TYPICAL CHARACTERISTIC of the telecom industry, particularly when it comes to emerging areas. The typical drill for the introduction of a new network architecture or service with some potential for improving on preceding formats is to produce pomp and promises, thereby ensuring at the outset that it will be years before the actual performance of said technology or service catches up with the hype.
Mercifully, that was not the case for carrier Ethernet. Perhaps owing to Ethernet's three decades of development in the enterprise and its steady migration outward, carrier Ethernet seems to have mostly avoided the hype cycle. The result is a standardized, well-defined, carrier-class service.
Another gratifying characteristic about carrier Ethernet is that it continues to inspire innovation, both in the way it is adapted, defined and certified by standards bodies and other industry groups, and in the way it is applied in various types of networks. That's what made Telephony's staff decide to explore the topic in more depth.
What you'll notice about the content of this supplement is although it takes Telephony's characteristic forward-looking examination at where carrier Ethernet is going, it does so without speculation about whether that future is realistic. The outlook for carrier Ethernet is solid, with so many service providers already embracing it in its many formats and over different transmission modes to address various service issues.
To that end, Editor-at-Large Carol Wilson's cover story (page 14) takes a look inside the Ethernet strategy of Verizon Business, one of the U.S. service providers that has integrated Ethernet into its service strategy most completely. Her companion piece (page 24) explores how several other service providers are applying carrier Ethernet, while contributor Tim Kridel's article on page 10 takes a further look at Ethernet service strategies in the business and residential customer sectors.
We also examine the technology implications of carrier Ethernet, beginning with Senior Writer Ed Gubbins' article on network migration (page 4). On page 28, Senior Editor Tim McElligott explores QOS and provides an analysis of the Metro Ethernet Forum's testing and certification program. And on page 34, Editor-in-Chief Dan O'Shea examines how the proliferation of 3G wireless is moving carrier Ethernet heavily into the wireless backhaul business.
The bonus poster we produced with contributions from the MEF, Infonetics Research and New Paradigm Resources Group offers a visual breakdown of carrier Ethernet's application and future. And our supplement closes with a contribution from MEF President Nan Chen on why carrier Ethernet has become so prevalent.
Telephony will continue to explore the implications of carrier Ethernet in regular issues, supplements and a newly launched One-Stop section of TelephonyOnline.com. We welcome your feedback on our coverage of this critical sector that has quietly but firmly established itself as an important component of the service provider scene.
Copyright 2006 by Prism Business Information. All rights reserved.www.prismb2b.com
Related Tags: carrier ethernet, service providers, Ethernet, ethernet, carrier, service
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