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Thursday, June 7, 2012

Carrier Ethernet 2.0 – What’s Next?

There are some interesting things happening at MEF these days. MEF is the industry forum where carriers and vendors come together to define common ground in how best to offer Carrier Ethernet services. Over the past few years MEF have been working on standards to make Carrier Ethernet services more interconnected, manageable and differentiated for specific application. This all comes together under “Carrier Ethernet 2.0”.


Carrier Ethernet 2.0 brings together a set of capabilities which enable operators to collaborate by interconnecting their services, endorsing the Ethernet wholesale services and Mobile Backhaul models. It aims to move operators forwards from plain old Carrier Ethernet to an interconnected world of multiple providers cooperating and working together to deliver scalable, dependable CE services with strict SLAs.

CE2.0 encompasses a collection of recent MEF works and distinguishes those operators and vendors who are offering the most advanced capabilities and customer experience. The messages / values / content of CE2.0 are very closely aligned to our own.

Carrier Ethernet 2.0 is a collection of MEF standards which increase the efficiency of doing business tuned to latest industry trends like: Global Enterprises, Cloud Access and Mobile Backhaul. CE2.0 addresses trends which already have momentum in the market and provides a common language and set of Standards to help the industry roll out a New Generation of Ethernet Services:


- Interconnection – to extend service providers’ footprint and create a bigger market for wholesale providers. Ethernet Access Services, Mobile Backhaul, Ethernet Exchanges.

- Manageability – for more consistent performance and deliverable SLAs. Service turn up, in service monitoring, better network visibility.

- Differentiated Application Performance – Multi-COS with performance objectives for geographical reach and application types.

Many of the markets where CE2.0 is targeted already exist and many of the technologies to enable it already exist. In fact, many users already have the tools they need to implement CE2.0. CE2.0 adds the industry framework to make it easier to do business.

For example:

E-Access. Service Definition to allow service providers and wholesale access providers to do business together much more efficiently. Reduces the negotiation between partners, provides a service you know will work, and provides much faster lead times. E-Access will grow the market for both the access providers and end to end service providers.

Mobile Backhaul. Sets out an agreed set of attributes which a mobile backhaul provider needs to provide. It not only makes it easier for the 4G mobile operator and network provider to do business but also helps the equipment vendors building Carrier Ethernet equipment, 4G Base stations and LTE/EPC RAN/Core to focus on delivering the right features.

UNI 2 has added smart management to the edge of the network where services are created. Policing, shaping, EVC creation, SOAM all contribute to the ability to offer solid SLAs.

Carrier Ethernet 1.0 is still relevant and remains the baseline on which CE 2.0 is built. It defined the delivery of services across a single Provider’s and provided a number of very important achievements for the industry:

- 4 Primary Ethernet Service Types
- Common language
- Service Attributes
- CE 2.0 builds on top of CE1.0

MEF is very clear that CE1.0 continues as a valuable service category. Perfectly suitable for many offers such as transparent fixed bandwidth pipes over transport infrastructure. MEF tell us that CE1.0 certifications based on MEF9 & 14 remain valid and will continue to mark out services which provide robust and dependable service. CE2.0 allows service providers to differentiate in the short term and will provide a very helpful framework for interconnection and more targeted services in the longer term.

So far the CE2.0 message is just starting to get out to the market and the response is very positive.

First mover service providers are looking at how they can use the CE2.0 framework to launch differentiating features to reduce their customers’ costs while increasing their own revenue.

For more information on CE2.0 there is a very helpful page on the MEF website which goes into greater detail. Take a look here: CE2.0 Overview.

http://metroethernetforum.org/page_loader.php?p_id=2031

1 comment:

  1. so my contention is I want a global Ethernet service wherever I am that fits my needs and I dare to say that that’s true not only for individuals but also for businesses, for everybody. Everybody wants that global Ethernet service that they can plug in anywhere that’s as reliable and as fast and as simple as the LAN in their office. so that is what 2.0 is pointing to.

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