Carrier Ethernet Whitepapers
Carrier Ethernet is defined by a number of standards and recommendations from multiple organizations such as the Metro Ethernet Forum, IEEE and ITU-T. Described simply, Carrier Ethernet enables predictable, cost-effective delivery of a variety of services. The technology standardizes interfaces, formats and baseline performance characteristics and includes many technological advances that set Carrier Ethernet apart from standard Ethernet. These advances simplify deployment and enable new levels of multi-vendor interoperability.
As a leading vendor in the Carrier Ethernet market, Ciena has developed several distinguishing technological characteristics that we refer to as True Carrier Ethernet. These characteristics build upon the Carrier Ethernet foundation and are realized in features that are deployed throughout the data, control and management planes of our products. Features such as exceptional performance, scalability, resiliency and manageability enable optimal delivery of high-bandwidth Business, Transport and Residential services.
The documents in this section provide in-depth descriptions of Carrier Ethernet and the specific innovations and capabilities of True Carrier Ethernet as defined by Ciena.
The next phase of SONET/SDH to packet network migration is underway, and optical networks must evolve to meet the challenges. To do this, a renewed focus has been placed on optical switching innovations and a tighter coupling of switching and transport through element integration and a unified control plane. Meanwhile, the network must continue to support legacy SONET/SDH traffic. Also, the network and network elements must have a high degree of modularity so operators can add the features and functions they need, when they need them.
The rise in bandwidth demand represents an era of major change in the ways residential and business services are used, sold, and supported on the network. To truly address the financial and technological imperatives of a network operator’s business, a more customizable and optimized approach to switching is required—one that provides a degree of hardware and software modularity and reconfigurability not found in today’s solutions. This new switching flexibility, made possible with a reconfigurable approach, will allow network operators to achieve a service-enabling switching infrastructure that can help drive top-line revenues, decrease costs, and ultimately differentiate offered services to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage.
Network operators around the world are considering transforming into "next-generation telcos" to remain competitive in a drastically changing environment. This new environment presents challenges and opportunities for network operators, as well as a great deal of risk. One thing is for certain: Telecom operators that don't adapt their business models to 21st-century communications are sure to fail.
Service providers face the increasing need to capitalize on the paradigm shift occurring in the ways consumers and enterprises perceive and use network services and bandwidth. To remain differentiated and valuable to end-users, providers must transition networks to service-driven and highly programmable infrastructures.
Due to its ubiquity and ease of use, Ethernet, in the form of PBB-TE, is positioned to capitalize on the sizeable opportunity of delivering and transporting Carrier Ethernet services.
This white paper examines the market drivers, key benefits, and main applications for converged Ethernet transport, and provides an overview of the CN 4200 FlexSelect Advanced Services Platform Family—including the new G10/G10X Ethernet service modules, which deliver a cost-effective, high-performance, manageable packet optical networking platform.
Ciena’s Carrier Ethernet Service Delivery solution enables service providers to operate, administrate, and maintain any mix of Ethernet and MPLS-based L2 VPNs effectively. By leveraging this unique OAM capability, service providers can protect current revenue and maximize revenue growth, while reducing operational costs.
Wireless carriers are scrambling to keep pace with a growing demand for mobile Internet services, and wireless equipment vendors are developing fourth generation (4G) technologies that can provide IP-based, high-speed broadband services for fixed, nomadic, and mobile users.
Carrier Ethernet, a new variety of Ethernet, is positioned to dominate emerging business and residential networks. This paper examines the characteristics of Carrier Ethernet in the transport and delivery of a wide range of services and applications, and explores the service’s growth potential in the market.