Please join us for the first in the 2012 series of webinars brought to you by Carrier Ethernet News to learn how service providers are Transforming Carrier Ethernet 2.0 Concepts into Business Winning Realities.  

NOTE: The date of this webinar has changed.  It is now May 16, 2012 at 14:00GMT (10am U.S. ET),

With Carrier Ethernet 2.0 certification set to begin in Q2, the Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) specification is poised to take the Ethernet world by storm. The specification is a Godsend of sorts to carriers and enterprises that are deploying Carrier Ethernet to meet their burgeoning data networking needs, according to Sam Masud, principal of Q3 Analytix, a Washington, D.C.-based market research firm.  

Please join us for the first in the 2012 series of webinars brought to you by Carrier Ethernet News to learn how service providers are Transforming Carrier Ethernet 2.0 Concepts into Business Winning Realities. 

One particular issue of concern for the CLEC community, many of which still use the ILEC copper infrastructure to deliver services, is that many of the incumbents that are in the process of transitioning from the PSTN to IP believe that they won't need to provide access to competitive providers, a perception that is in contrast to the goals of the 1996 Act. At the same competitive providers that use the traditional copper network to deliver voice and Ethernet fear that their service delivery platform could be compromised as telcos replace copper with fiber in their last mile networks ...

Consumer and business demand for better, faster broadband also appears to be picking up, as is the competition to provide it. Incumbent carriers like CenturyLink (NYSE: CTL) and AT&T (NYSE: T) are bridging speed gaps with technologies like Ethernet over Copper, while cable operators, fast moving up in the broadband pack, offer Internet technologies that utilize their existing coax lines.

Telmex has put wireline broadband on its list as a key initiative, one that includes a mix of hybrid copper/fiber and Fiber to the Home (FTTH) networks. To reach that goal, the service provider is leveraging VDSL2 and GPON equipment, including its ISAM platforms from Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU) to deliver a suite of higher broadband data and video services. ADSL2 demo video (Source: Alcatel-Lucent) Serving as a means to backhaul and manage its broadband and video traffic, Telmex will also deploy IP/MPLS Carrier Ethernet solution. The agreement with Alcatel-Lucent is part of Telmex's broader effort to expand ...

If completed, this deal will help to accomplish several important objectives for Windstream as it continues to dive deeper into the business services market. The acquisition brings added scale to Windstream's business services channel, adds depth to its business product portfolio and, most importantly, grows its long haul and metro U.S. fiber footprint.

A deal is a deal, right? Well, Level 3 Communications' (Nasdaq: LVLT) proposed acquisition of Global Crossing (Nasdaq: GLBC) is far from done as the Justice Department is now expanding its investigation of the deal.

While they were not explicitly named, this kind of dark cloud could inhibit the pace of carrier’s investments building out enterprise WANs built on MPLS and Carrier Ethernet services. That could in turn a chilling effect on the adoption of many types of business applications, including the use of enterprise-grade WANs to support UC and related collboration technologies on a multi-site basis.

Rajiv Datta is CTO of AboveNet Inc. (NYSE: ABVT ), and has responsibility for engineering, IT, and product management across all of the carrier’s metro, long-haul, and wide-area networks.

Additional online services—These already exist-they are supported via MPLS and Carrier Ethernet services, and can interface to Broadband Access. ...and more »

Conterra carrier class broadband and network services use an Internet protocol-based Carrier Ethernet architecture (TCP/IP) to support data, voice and video simultaneously in a converged environment and meet Layer 2 or Layer 3 Quality of Service (QoS) standards. Conterra supports its alternative access service customers with a state-of-the-art Network Operations Center (NOC (News - Alert)) that proactively monitors all networks around the clock around the year, ensuring carrier class network performance.

RCN Metro's (NasdaqGS: RCNI) newly-minted partnerships with three emerging Ethernet Exchange operators--CENX, Equinix (NasdaqGS: EQIX) and Neutral Tandem--reflects the fact that expanding its Ethernet out of region through carrier partnerships, while necessary, comes with the price of having to strike complex one-off interconnection agreements. By taking an all-of-the-above approach with its latest Ethernet expansion drive in its New York City and Chicago markets, RCN Metro will be able extend the availability of its Ethernet services to local, national, and international service providers via Ethernet Exchange Carriers in New York City and Chicago at speeds that scale as low 1 ...

Transtelco, a U.S./Mexico border-based service provider, is augmenting its Ethernet network reach by establishing a connection with carrier Ethernet exchange provider CENX. By partnering with CENX,... Read more >>

There is some concern about access as we transition from TDM interconnects to Ethernet, but the industry has not had time to establish a new set of practices. The FCC needs to tread carefully here as this could threaten much needed investment and growth. Finally, when it comes to broadband, who are the incumbents and who are the rival carriers? None of us has the network infrastructure on our own to service the entire country