Cisco's VP of service provider operations for APAC Hanh Tu says Carrier Ethernet can simplify operators' network infrastructure, flatten the transport layer and optimize the protocols in their aggregation and service edge networks
Carrier Ethernet: What's behind all the buzz over Carrier Ethernet?
Tu: The exponential growth of IP-based traffic for voice, video, data and mobile services has led us to the zettabyte era. To support high-volume IP traffic, next-generation networks are relying on Carrier Ethernet and IP/MPLS technology. To profitably deliver any-play services to consumer, business, wholesale and mobile, while retaining a durable competitive advantage, service provider networks must combine the reliability of TDM networks with the intelligence, scalability and convergence of packet-based networks.
Service providers are strategically evolving from access providers to "experience providers" offering compelling any-play services that are available anytime, anywhere, on any device. Service providers will gain a competitive advantage by offering consistent and highly reliable transport of any-play services.
How is it enabling service providers to flatten their capex growth?
Service providers need to scale their IP services, which are often media-rich applications that are bandwidth hungry and require stringent guarantees for that bandwidth. At the same time, they have to increase the speed of offering these services while reducing the cost of operating the overall network. Service providers are relying on Carrier Ethernet technology to flatten their capex growth while offering a highly scalable option at cost-effective rates.
Cisco's IP NGN Carrier Ethernet product provides a compelling business value proposition for service providers because of its ability to simplify their network infrastructure, flatten the transport layer and optimize the protocols in their aggregation and service edge networks. The solution provides a foundation to optimize the transport of any service and bandwidth over a converged infrastructure, along with the ability to deploy multiple rich-media, any-play services. It also can provide better network-to-network interface capabilities for global inter-provider connections.
What is limiting operators' ability to offer any-play services?
Traditionally, service providers have had multiple access and core networks with different protocols to deliver specific applications for different market segments. The lack of converged infrastructure is limiting their ability to evolve from access provider to experience provider to deliver any-play services. Any-play services are driving increased bandwidth as well as quality of experience requirements to reach the subscribers at any location over any media.
In many cases, service providers are not able to reach their subscribers with fiber and must select and deploy various access technologies as well as partner with other providers to offer their services. As a result, this will add complexity and cost to their deployments. The service providers must take these factors into account to optimize the revenue generated from their new service deployments. The network is becoming a strategic platform to deliver new and advanced services to many end-user devices. Service providers are transforming their networks into multi-service, intelligent Ethernet and IP MPLS-based infrastructures to deliver a "connected life" to consumers at home, at work and on the move.