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Introduction to Carrier Ethernet Transport (CET)
Carriers around the world are increasingly being pressured to provide new services while reducing their costs to remain competitive with changing regulations and new, non-traditional entrants into the marketplace.
As carriers migrate to next-generation networks (NGNs) to reduce their costs and improve their ability to support high bandwidth-intensive services with guaranteed SLAs, they need a flexible, scalable optical transport infrastructure – especially in the metro network – that efficiently supports Ethernet and minimizes operational complexities.
Where is the NGN Headed ?
Telecom carriers today view their networks as having three separate and distinct modes, as shown in the chart below.
Connectionless Packet … there is universal agreement that IP is the right technology
Connection-Oriented Packet … many different technologies have been used to provide this mode … all with various limitations until recently. The scalability limitations of VLAN tags and the inherent cost and complexity of MPLS are driving carriers to deployment of a new NGN optical infrastructure. See Comparing Alternate Approaches for Ethernet-Optical Transport Networks explores the options more fully.
Circuit Switched … nearly universal agreement that SONET/SDH will eventually be phased out in favor of OTN (Optical Transport Network)
Defining Carrier Ethernet Transport
Carrier Ethernet Transport (CET) is an architectural approach to building scalable transport infrastructure for supporting Ethernet and the evolution to NGNs
- Carrier Ethernet Transport integrates intelligent WDM (ability to do multi-degree switching at wavelength and sub wavelength levels) with Ethernet Tunnels, such as PBB-TE and T-MPLS .
- Carrier Ethernet Transport (CET) provides the simplicity and cost-effectiveness of native Ethernet with the reliability and power of WDM to deliver unparalleled flexibility, efficiency and cost savings
- Note that “Carrier Ethernet” comprises two distinct sub-segments: “Carrier Ethernet Services” and “Carrier Ethernet Transport”
Carrier Ethernet Transport is an architecture for NGNs based on wavelength networking. Services from both wireless and wireline access networks are simultaneously carried on a single network infrastructure. Three levels of embedded transport networking switching capabilities (wavelength, sub-wavelength, and Ethernet tunnels) provide a cost-effective transport network that can support services with guaranteed service level agreements (SLAs).
Products
Meriton is adding support for Carrier Ethernet Transport to its Agile Optical Networking (AON) portfolio.
3300 OSM (Optical Services Multiplexer)
The 3300 OSM is a cost-efficient optical multiplexer with superior Ethernet aggregation capabilities for the access.
Key Capabilities:
- 9:1 Aggregation supports 9 x Gig E onto 10 G wavelength
- 2:1 Aggregation supports 2 x Gig E onto 2.5 G wavelength
- Combined CWDM and DWDM
- Carrier-class metro access platform
7200 OSP (Optical Switching Platform)
The 7200 OSP is an integrated switching and transport system for the metro, and will have optimized support for Ethernet connections (coming LH2007).
Key Capabilities:
- Carrier-class wavelength networking system
- Highly scalable, 320 G switch fabric per shelf
- Combined CWDM and DWDM with wavelength translation
- Layer 1+ Performance Monitoring
- Multi-degree wavelength switching
- Between 100 Mb/s to 40 Gb/s
Ethernet Wavelength Aggregation and Switching
- 9 x 1Gig E Onto 10G Wavelength
- Ethernet Path Switching within 10G Wavelength
- GFP Ethernet Path
- Standards Based For Interoperability
- Integrates Into OSS/OAM
- End-to-end E-paths via Meriton 8600 NMS point-&-click management
- Optical Reliability and security
Carrier Ethernet Tunnel Switching (PBB-TE)
- 40G Full Duplex
- VLAN Switching
- 802.1 p/q and Q-in-Q & Swapping
- Tunnel Switching (PBB-TE first)
- 1Gig E & 10Gig E Interfaces
- 802.3ad Link Aggregation
- Aggregation to one or more ports
- Optimize Port Handoff To Services Layer Platforms
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