Business need

Frame Relay (FR)/ATM VPNs and TDM private lines have tremendous installed bases. Meanwhile, Ethernet services are building momentum for meeting low-cost, high-bandwidth networking requirements. The large quantities of FR/ATM and TDM private lines, coupled with Ethernet's growing attractiveness as a network service, has resulted in enterprise demand for heterogeneous Wide Area Networks (WANs) that support a mix of these technologies. Service providers can capitalize by supporting interworking across Ethernet, TDM, FR and ATM services with a customized WAN solution.

Challenges

Service providers are investing heavily in Ethernet equipment but also need a way to support legacy services. With Packet service interworking, service providers can  translate one protocol to another transparently when customer endpoints require unlike protocols such as ATM to Ethernet. They can also support TDM over Packet to transport their traditional private lines over an Ethernet network. However, most Ethernet switching and routing equipment does not support TDM and can not provide the reliability necessary to meet corporate data SLAs.Furthermore, legacy multiservice switching products either lack packet service interworking support or experience performance degradation because the additional data processing requirements are very burdensome on their aging processor technology.

Solution

A true multiservice Carrier Ethernet switching solution can support packet service interworking functionality without performance degradation, while providing true carrier-class service reliability. This solution also provides ‘any service in, carrier Ethernet out’. An effective solution should support service interworking gateway functionality between disparate data networks as well as multi-protocol access interworking within the same data network. It must be able to provide TDM over Packet and FR/ATM to Ethernet interworking.

Ciena's offerings

Ciena's CN 5060™ Multiservice Carrier Ethernet platform supports the full set of features required to effectively provide Ethernet/FR/ATM service interworking and TDM over Packet in a carrier network. We offer unprecedented 99.9999 percent system reliability and availability on a true family of compact platforms so you can continue to leverage your current Layer 1/2 investments while evolving your network at the pace that makes the most economic sense for you. Our next-generation network processor technology allows a high-performance interworking capability without the risk of impacting your customers' service performance. These switches require minimal space and power, enabling substantial operating savings through the direct reduction in deployment and operating costs. In addition, Ciena offers service providers a migration path to an IP/MPLS converged infrastructure with capabilities such as Pseudowire Emulation Edge-to-Edge (PWE3).

Benefits

• Support incremental growth of TDM services over a new packet network using standards-based TDM over Packet (SAToP and CESoPSN, CESoE)
• Manage the migration and revenue shift from traditional FR and ATM to Carrier Ethernet and IP/MPLS
• Deliver new Ethernet and IP services that complement rather than compete with your traditional data products
• Protect and grow installed customer bases by offering a customized WAN solution that evolves to meet changing enterprise networking needs
• Efficiently scale subscribers, bandwidth rates and services to foster revenue growth
• Complete flexibility when selling packet service interworking solutions by supporting various enterprise data encapsulation methods on a per-port and/or per-circuit basis using standards-based VLAN tagging and per-circuit bandwidth and QoS guarantees
• Profit from industry-leading system reliability and availability levels