* The real value of metro Ethernet services is what gets bundled with them
Anyone who uses a computer, printer, or server knows wireline and wireless Ethernet are the connectivity media of choice. Even in the face of so many options for metro- and wide-area connectivity – like private lines, frame relay, and ATM – Ethernet is finally making successful headway in those areas. For those unfamiliar with metro Ethernet services, they look remarkably like frame relay with a well-defined user-network interface, a committed information rate, committed burst rates, a means to discard excess burst, and full support for point-to-point and point-to-multipoint connections. The list of service providers that offer metro Ethernet service is long and getting longer, with both top-tier providers like AT&T and competitive carriers like Yipes offering the service. And metro Ethernet isn’t just limited to U.S. carriers – France Telecom, NTT, and KPN are among international carriers that offer a metro Ethernet service.
Anyone who uses a computer, printer, or server knows wireline and wireless Ethernet are the connectivity media of choice. Even in the face of so many options for metro- and wide-area connectivity – like private lines, frame relay, and ATM – Ethernet is finally making successful headway in those areas.
For those unfamiliar with metro Ethernet services, they look remarkably like frame relay with a well-defined user-network interface, a committed information rate, committed burst rates, a means to discard excess burst, and full support for point-to-point and point-to-multipoint connections. The list of service providers that offer metro Ethernet service is long and getting longer, with both top-tier providers like AT&T and competitive carriers like Yipes offering the service. And metro Ethernet isn’t just limited to U.S. carriers – France Telecom, NTT, and KPN are among international carriers that offer a metro Ethernet service.
Although metro Ethernet services are sold as “stand-alone” transport and network services, we believe what makes them exciting are the services that are bundled along with the metro Ethernet “pipe.”
For example, Yipes announced last week that its FinancialConnect service now offers a scalable network that provides banks and brokers with access to exchanges and trading platforms.
Other providers are bundling services like storage-area networks and VoIP with their metro Ethernet services.
Some of us remember how long it took the frame relay market to provide standards and equipment for voice over frame relay. But unlike the relative snail’s pace frame relay advocates took to include non-transport services and features, Metro Ethernet is moving full steam ahead to include a wide variety of bundled services and features. This rapid introduction not only is refreshing but also will, we believe, guarantee the success of metro Ethernet services.
