Typically, they could go to one of their competitors covering the customer’s branch area, which most likely would not give them the most attractive pricing, as they would prefer to offer the service needed themselves, or, they can go to an inter-connect company, which offers bandwidth and connectivity to providers around the globe . An example of this type of interconnect provider is Global Capacity.

Global Capacity enables customers to accelerate time to market and provide ubiquitous services by automating the procurement of network connectivity. Their solutions provide a consolidated interconnection through which buyers can cost-effectively and efficiently expand their networks and provide a solution to the type of customer we’ve mention earlier.

The same service can be used to allow service providers the use of access bandwidth, and to offer it to other providers by selling it to interconnect companies that have access to many providers that otherwise would not be aware of this network availability.

In order to establish this service, Global Capacity chose Telco Systems’ T-Metro 8006 high density service aggregation platform for its flexibility and scalability, combined with the company’s powerful service management system, EdgeGenie. Global Capacity can achieve a superior total cost of ownership using EdgeGenie to accelerate network planning, deployment, and ongoing management of new services. This solution allows for flexible bandwidth management and service assurance via robust integrated OAM tools. Or, the way Jack Lodge, President of Global Capacity puts it: “Telco Systems’ CE 2.0-compliant end-to-end Ethernet product portfolio makes a key difference for Global Capacity. Telco Systems’ solutions enable us to rapidly connect new services with the best user experience and assured SLAs. Our customers now have a simple and cost-effective way to gain access to our tremendous Ethernet reach governed by a single service agreement with uniform terms, conditions and SLAs, while mitigating the complexities associated with the management of multiple technical interconnections and vendors.”

Learn about Jack’s experience deploying interconnect services here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-JkezlKx0Q

Two days later, I had my travel arrangements sorted out, and off we went.

MEF is putting a lot of focus on pushing and aligning its standards, educational papers and implementation agreements with the fast paced progress of the mobile backhaul environment. MEF 22.1 is an implementation agreement that was written to address some of the LTE and even 3G requirements, highlighting and recommending the requirements on resiliency and protection, service management, performance objectives and cross Class of Service (CoS) level service mapping.
Other updates have been made concerning time synchronization paper enhancing the latest requirements needed to meet LTE and LTE-Advanced standards. Time synchronization techniques are going to be even more challenging in the next couple of years with the introduction of more stringent accuracy requirements needed to support new functionality, like LTE coordinated multipoint (CoMP) and inter-cell interference coordination (ICIC). It looks like SyncE is becoming the de-facto requirement regarding frequency synchronization, while phase synchronization issues are still far from reaching a consensus.

While a few years ago, you still saw legacy solutions presented at these shows, it looks like the world is now fully packetized and most operators have stated that regardless of the physical medium (copper, microwave or fiber) all backhaul is becoming Ethernet based. Two important trends we see is that SLA assurance is being widely adopted, and there is growing need to increase network visibility.

Another interesting topic that is picking up is the C-RAN architecture adaptation. Some of you may remember, but I addressed the C-RAN architecture almost 2 years ago when we analyzed the backhaul requirements of C-RAN architecture and pointed out the required functionality in Better Backhaul to the Cell Site White Paper

Now the focus is not only on backhaul, but also on Fronthaul. Fronthual is the connection between the base band unit (BBU) and remote radio head (RRU). This connection combines high capacity requirements (few gigs) and a very low latency budget. As the fiber availability dramatically affects the business viability of C-RAN based solutions in countries that do not have large fiber infrastructure, it is not surprising that the first real deployments are done in Korea, Japan and China, where there is a high viability of fiber.

C-RAN architecture reduces operational costs (OPEX) and eliminates X2 backhaul traffic, which increases network and resource efficiency, thus making it a very attractive technology. C-RAN architecture is creating high interest from both operator and vendor communities, which may lead to new technologies that will overcome these fiber and latency challenges.

And last but not least, small cells.

There is no question in the market if small cells will be deployed – just how and when. It is very clear now that small cells will become a vital element in the operator toolset, handling the new data requirements of their networks.

Few mobile operators have presented the current situation and their small cells plans. Some wireline providers, like Virgin Media and Colt, have introduced their vision and future plans on backhauling small cells and even offering the small cells as a service. In some places, where fiber availability is limited, small cells are very attractive as wireless backhaul solutions, and some of the vendors have introduced new E-band and V-bands solutions. In small cells as well as in the macro cell casewe clearly hear the mobile operators declare “fiber when you can, microwave when you can’t”.

Small cells also impose a greater challenge for mobile backhaul service security, provisioning and traffic engineering, so there is a growing trend of extracting IP/MPLS services further into the network edge.

To learn more about small cells solutions, I encourage you to listen to this webinar.

Seems like a lot of challenges still lie ahead, but new technologies, new concepts and new solutions are also arriving – so it is going to be a very interesting year.

Source: ITU-T

ITU-T Y.1564, also sometimes called (by mistake) “EtherSAM”  - which refers to the draft of Y.1564 named  Y.156sam, but while these names are in some cases used interchangeably there are some important differences between them. In this article we will refer to the rectified Y.1564.

Y.1564 is a QoS and network performance ITU-T Ethernet-based service test methodology. This out-of-service testing procedures test service turn-up, installation and troubleshooting of Ethernet-based services with the goal of assuring and verifying committed service level agreement (SLA) performances.

What makes this standard unique is that it allows for complete validation of Ethernet SLA in one test.

ITU-T Y.1564’s focus is threefold:

• First, the methodology serves as a validation tool, ensuring that the network complies with the SLA by ensuring that a service meets its key performance indicators (KPI) at different rates, within the committed range.
• Second, the methodology ensures that all services carried by the network meet their KPI objectives at their maximum committed rate, validating that under maximum load the network devices and paths are able to service all the traffic as designed.
• Third, service testing can be performed for a medium to long test period, confirming that network elements can properly carry all services while under a significant load extended over a significant period of time (sometime referred to as a soaking test)

Prior to Y.1564 the most widely used testing tool to assess performance of Ethernet-based services was IETF RFC 2544 which was created to evaluate the performance characteristics of network devices in a lab. But since it includes throughput, burstability, frame loss and latency with the lack of other standards it became commonly used in real networks and is being used in Ethernet-networks globally. It does not however include all required measurements such as packet jitter, QoS measurement and multiple concurrent service levels.

Contrary to other methodologies, Y.1564 supports current service providers offering which typically consist of multi-services. Y.1564 allows them to simultaneously test all services and measure if they qualify to the committed SLA attributes. On top of that it also validate the different QoS mechanisms provisioned in the network to prioritize the different service types – allowing service providers faster deployment (as the need for repeated tests is eliminated) and easier service and network troubleshooting.

Y.1564 allows for very high flexibility in simulating testing scenarios to be very close to the real active network traffic. It defines test streams (or “flows”) with service attributes aligned the Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) 10.2 definitions. These Test Flows can be classified using various mechanisms such as 802.1q VLAN, 802.1ad, DSCP and class of service (CoS) profiles.

These services are defined at the UNI level with different frame and bandwidth profile such as the service’s maximum transmission unit (MTU) or frame size, committed information rate (CIR), and excess information rate (EIR).With up 5 different frame sizes in single test.

RFC2544 vs. Y.1564:

While existing methodologies like RFC 2544 work in the link level – measuring its maximum performance Y.1564 uses a different method where KPIs (such are Bandwidth CIR/EIR/DISCARDED traffic, Frame Loss, Frame Delay and Frame Delay Variation) are measured and compared to expected values for each service – ensuring  it is within its committed range or the threshold defined for guaranteed traffic such as  CIR (committed information Rate).

In 2012, the Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) defined a new Ethernet Service Type, called Ethernet Access, or E-Access, to be added to the three defined service types: E-LINE, E-TREE and E-LAN. This service type is typically offered by two service providers with adjacent territories, or by a wholesale Ethernet access provider to service providers who have customers beyond the coverage area of their network, thus requiring them to extend their service reach beyond the network coverage area.

Any Ethernet service that is based on an Operator Virtual Connection (OVC) that associates at least one OVC End Point at a UNI (“e” or “f” in the figure below), and at least one OVC End Point at an E-NNI (“b” or “c” in the figure below), is designated as an Ethernet Access (E-Access) Service type.

E-Access can be used in a number of ways – to connect to the Internet and provide centralized high-speed Internet access; to connect to Virtual Private Networks (VPN) in order to provide connectivity to one customer/company in multiple locations or branches, and to connect a cloud customer that requires a dedicated Ethernet UNI for a WAN connection from their location to the cloud provider’s datacenter.

In all cases, E-Access gives the service provider higher throughput with lower cost per Mb than extending its own network.

Currently, E-Access specifies two types of Ethernet services:

• Access Ethernet Private Line Service (Access EPL) – uses a point-to-point OVC between the UNI and ENNI and allows frames at the UNI to be delivered unchanged to the ENNI, with the addition of an S-VLAN tag or MPLS header. In this service, all untagged, and any CE-VLAN tagged frames are mapped to one OVC at the UNI.
• Access Ethernet Virtual Private Line (Access EVPL) – uses a point-to-point OVC between the UNI and ENNI, similar to Access EPL, however, with the support of multiple service instances, including a mix of Access and EVC services.

The service provider and access provider need to coordinate the value of the S-VLAN ID or MPLS label at the ENNI and other related service attributes.

E-Access is included in the new MEF CE 2.0 certification program. Telco Systems was one of the first companies that successfully passed all eight types of MEF services, including Access EPL and Access-EVPL.

To celebrate, we are hosting a prize drawing. Ten winners will receive a $10 Amazon card.

In order to enter the drawing, all you need to do is follow @telcosystems on Twitter, and on LinkedIn. It’s as easy as that! If you already follow us, leave a comment here – we would love to know what topics you would like us to cover in the future.

The winners will be announced next week. Thanks again for following, everyone!

By the way, we’ll be hosting a similar drawing when we hit 1000 followers on LinkedIn. So if you want another opportunity to win a prize, be sure to follow our news!

On February 21^st  a group of Carrier Ethernet Experts met at the Orange Lab Facility in Paris to launch MEF activities in France.
The purpose of the meeting was to raise the profile of Carrier Ethernet in France and discuss how the MEF can better educate French service providers as well as to facilitate discussions on CE2.0 and E-Access.
A variety of Service Providers and Equipment Manufacturers attended the meeting.This was an opportunity to bring together a growing number of MEF members in France and help key players in the French telecom market to better understand how the global phenomenon of Carrier Ethernet has an impact on the enterprise and residential markets in France.

The agenda highlights included:

• MEF introduction
• Overview –  technical specifications : OAM ,Multi-CoS, UNI & NNI
• MEF standardized services – E-Line, E-LAN, E-TREE and the new E-Access
• MEF French group – Action plan and steps for future development

The meeting was very fruitful and was a great opportunity to discuss E-access and CE2.0 and their implications on various sizes of French service providers. It was also discussed how different services are delivered. In additional Quality of Service, and how OAM gets aligned to it and to the committed SLA got a lot of attention as well as mobile backhaul  synchronization and SDN combined cloud services for service providers.

The French team agreed to meet during the upcoming MPLS World Congress in Paris to discuss next steps for MEF Activities in France including ideas for Enterprise (business Ethernet services) and Wholesale services activities.

If you are MEF member we encourage you to review the slides that were presented by Francois Tournesac, MEF French Marketing Co-Chair, and Sylvain Desbureaux, Orange labs.

The slides (access for members only) can be found at http://www.metroethernetforum.net/apps/org/workgroup/marketing/documents.php?folder_id=841
If you would like to get involved please reach out to either Francois Tournesac, French Marketing Co-chair, MEF at ftournesac@telco.com or to me at einat@metroethernetforum.org

Now if only I could invent a time machine to get one of our account managers to visit me back at my old position with a competitive service provider.

Please join me at the following COMPTEL PLUS 13 panel:
Application and Vertical Market Drivers for Carrier Ethernet Access Services

Date: March 12th
Time: 9:05 AM
Location: Pinyon Ballroom 5

or set up a meeting while at COMPTEL –  http://bit.ly/13LOvjj

This time around, along with marketing and technical sessions that are used by the MEF members to discuss Carrier Ethernet trends and develop Carrier Ethernet standards, they also organized  ”Americas Carrier Ethernet Summit” that brought together senior service provider executives to discuss Ethernet innovation. One of them was Dr. Robert Metcalfe, “the inventor of the Ethernet”, from the University of Texas at Austin who suggests that Carrier Ethernet 3.0 will be driven by new high-speed network technology, advanced broadband applications, and software-defined networking (SDN). As an MEF advisory director, he urged the MEF to collaborate with the Open Network Forum (ONF), a consortium looking to develop SDN standards.

Other speakers covered innovations enabled by CE 2.0 and how it is impacting their business and that of their customers. Mr. Terry Canning from Rogers Communications said that their customers appreciate Rogers’ investment in deploying a multi-service switch at their sites allowing them to increase bandwidth & add new services quickly and easily. Mr. Michael Rouleau from TW Telecom talked about evolving carrier networks for on-demand services that are available when and for as long as needed, and are secured, scalable, and with an expected user experience. Mr. Jarrett Appleby from CoreSite talked about data centers as the interconnection enabler, and the opportunity to build cloud-enabled data center campuses that leverage Ethernet as on-ramps.

SDN and cloud services continue to dominate industry debate.  At the event people were discussing Ethernet access to the Virtual Private Cloud (VPC), data center inter-connect WAN services, and hybrid data centers that augment traditional on-premises data centers with cloud services. This drives the MEF to enhance current technical specifications and develop new ones in order to standardize delivery of cloud services.

At Telco Systems we believe that enterprises expect cloud-based services to provide the same level of experience as if the infrastructure was located locally. To make this happen cloud networks needs to offer  assured capacity, security, resiliency, and in some cases, low latency. Cloud-based services must also be flexible enough to allow for real-time changes in bandwidth demand. Enterprises also expect to have visibility on how the quality of their service is behaving in real time.

This can be achieved using several tools and functions, including OAM tools for service activation, performance monitoring, fault management, service manageability, and Quality-of-Service (QoS) for better utilization of network resources. Additionally,  interoperability is a key component that allows extended reach and decreased time to market.

Many of these have been provisioned within the MEF technical specifications and are being verified and tested by the CE2.0 program.

Telco Systems is proud to be one of the first companies to be CE2.0 certified.

Related Info:

• Blog Article “MEF CE 2.o Certification Program”
• Telco Systems’ CE 2.0 Certification has Regional Providers “snapping at Tier 1 heels” Press Release

As a leading Carrier Ethernet equipment vendor, we want to ensure our products meet the customers’ requirements and conform to the latest Carrier Ethernet specifications and highest quality standards. Playing an active role in the MEF committees for many years allows us to help standardize Carrier Ethernet, contribute to the various technical specifications, and lead the market by introducing standards conforming products prior to most other vendors.

The new Carrier Ethernet 2.0 (CE 2.0) certification program for service providers and equipment vendors was launched by the Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) in 2012. Telco Systems is among the first group of vendors who were certified. The completion of the first round of certification was announced in the MEF quarterly meeting on Feb 2013. Telco Systems is one of only a few vendors who passed all 680 test cases and proved its products strictly conform to the CE 2.0 standard.

This CE 2.0 program is the MEF framework through which service providers and equipment vendors can demonstrate their compliance with globally recognized MEF Carrier Ethernet service specifications. CE 2.0 standards will accelerate the deployment of Carrier Ethernet services by reducing the time and resources required to assess service offerings and equipment. This reduction of effort increases the likelihood of providing services that are fully featured, standardized for global deployment, and optimize bandwidth use and costs.

The program was designed to verify the conformance of each of the following types of services:

• E-Line (EPL and EVPL)
• E-LAN (EP-LAN and EVP-LAN)
• E-Tree (EP-Tree and EVP-Tree)
• E-Access (Access EPL and Access EVPL)

Each type of service requires different combinations of service and performance attributes defined in MEF technical specifications, and include User Network Interface (UNI), External Network-to-Network Interface (E-NNI), Ethernet Virtual Connection (EVC), and Operator Virtual Connection (OVC).

The test plan covers MEF 6.1, MEF 10.2, MEF 26.1, MEF 33, and MEF 23.1, and is composed of 293 test cases for Service Attributes and 387 test cases for Traffic Management. The major features include multiple classes of service (including various CoS labels and color identifiers), standardized performance tiers and metrics, end-to-end service fault management, standardized granularities for traffic management (up to 10G), and standardized wholesale interconnect service (including E-NNI and OVC).

Our customers have been deploying CE 2.0 compliant services, and we believe the CE 2.0 standard will allow them to continue doing so, only faster and while reducing interoperability issues in E-NNIs. You can see what our customers’ experiences have been here: NebraskaLink  and FORETHOUGHT.net

We’ll continue enhancing our solution offering in order to generate value for our customers and to help them realize the potential of a connected world using a wide variety of technologies including Ethernet, MPLS, and Circuit Emulation Services (CES).

To learn more, or to read Telco Systems’ official press release on the topic, please visit: http://www.telco.com/index.php?page=press-releases&article=89

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NS7puTcwZE

In the last year we’ve seen our 40G blades being used in a variety of applications, but generally speaking, it seems that 40G systems get most of the attention in two  main verticals – mobile infrastructure (mainly LTE), and high-speed, high-throughput dataCom (mainly in the cloud/data center).

Mobile infrastructure has been going through major changes with the introduction of new technologies that are designed to allow mobile operators to overcome the need to offer high-bandwidth solutions. LTE deployments have been ramping up this year, with TEMs (Telecom Equipment Manufacturers) focused mainly around the Evolved Packet Core (EPC) and Node B, relying on ATCA systems and blades to provide the building blocks for the network.

As data centers become bigger and bigger, and throughput needs continue to increase, it seems that there is a growing need for a smart gateway to perform Deep Packet Inspection (DPI), while supporting firewalls, traffic analysis, and load balancing in the cloud, between the clouds, and between the cloud and the access network, providing an interesting opportunity for 40GE ATCA platforms.

The Summit also provided a stage for discussions regarding 100GE ATCA systems future direction. While it looks like 100GE backplanes, at the moment, far from being ready (not expected to perform until 2015), the need for 100GE uplinks required in the blades look to be approaching faster.