Industry intentions with high-speed frame relay
 
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Several service providers and equipment makers have indicated that they will explore the potential of running frame relay at OC-3 and OC-12 speeds. An implementation agreement for frame relay at these rates over SONET/SDH is included in the recent ratification of the Frame Relay Forum's FRF.14, which also specifies a range of other physical-layer interfaces.
Three key infrastructure providers-Ascend, Cisco and Nortel Networks-plan to provide the capabilities in their switches to enable such high-speed frame relay services, which would extend the scalability of frame relay networks.
John Casadonte, Nortel Networks' senior manager of Passport 7000 marketing, said, "For the future (1Q00), Nortel Networks is actively developing support for SONET/SDH based access to frame services in order to leverage increasing investments in optical access infrastructures." According to an Ascend spokesperson, "The support for frame relay at optical speeds will be critical to the growth of frame services and IP VPN services enabled by MPLS [Multiprotocol Label Switching] implementations." Cisco simply said it intends to support the IA, but did not elaborate.
Meanwhile, the service providers who use this equipment were more cautious in their evaluations of above-T3-speed frame relay. In a statement, Sprint said it "will definitely evaluate OC3 and higher" but that it has no definitive plans. MCI WorldCom said, "We see the Frame Relay Forum proposal as interesting and are looking into it. ... The customer demand for higher speed access, particularly for hub data center facilities, is also supported using ATM and interworking it to frame relay, so we have this covered either way."
If you are familiar with AT&T's strategies, you won't be surprised to discover that the company is lukewarm on the idea. AT&T held firm that for speeds higher than T1 and applications that require predictable performance and quality of service, "ATM is the way to go." As always, though, AT&T does not entirely close the door, adding that if high-speed frame relay is something its customers eventually require, the company will reevaluate the issue.
Steven Taylor, consultant and broadband packet evangelist, and Joanie Wexler, an independent networking technology editor and writer, team up to bring you this analysis and commentary. Taylor specializes in education and market analysis, and Wexler adds incisive reporting and research. For more detailed information on most of the topics discussed in this newsletter, connect to www.webtorials.com, the first Web site dedicated exclusively to market studies and technology tutorials in the Broadband Packet areas of Frame Relay, ATM, and IP. Feedback and additional topic ideas are welcome. Please contact taylor@webtorials.com or joanie_wexler@mindspring.com.
Read the Physical Layer Implementation Agreement
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