Carrier Ethernet

Carrier Ethernet is becomming more and more popular with both carriers and businesses. With the increase of IP traffic as IPTV, Video on Demand, VoIP, Sip trunking and virtual private LAN services, carrier ethernet has become a transport technology of choice.

Carrier ethernet services provides access to the internet with native ethernet packets, as opposed to circuit based access methods as T1, T3, OC3, OC48 etc. An advantage of being packet based is that carrier ethernet services can support Class of Service (CoS). Carrier Ethernet also supports true multipoint communications. Older WAN technologies as ATM and frame relay offer point-to-point connectivity only. Although Metro Ethernet is often thought to be analogous to Transparent LAN Services, Ethernet can be used as a broadband access technology to point-to-point Layer 2 VPN, Layer 3 VPN, and Internet services.

Carrier Ethernet pricing

Carrier Ethernet is far more cost effective than traditional internet access methods suchs as bonded T1's, DS3 and OC3. Please use the form below to see if carrier ethernet services are available in your area, if it is you will be able to compare the pricing point of multiple carrier ethernet providers.

Fast Ethernet ( FastE )

FastE, which stands for Fast Ethernet, is 100 Mbps Ethernet (100 megabits per second). The original ethernet speed was 10Mbps, thus the term fast ethernet. FastE can be used as access method to the internet and is often less expensive than a DS3 which only has a speed of 45Mbps. Carrier Fast Ethernet can also be used to connect two or more LAN's in different locations. In that case it would be used as an alternative to a private point to point line. MPLS FastE (MPLS stands for MultiProtocol Label Switching) allows the prioritisation of different classes of service. This allows for instance voice and video traffic to have a higher priority than a less time sensitive application such as inventory management. There are several different forms of Fast Ethernet, 100BASE-TX is the most common and runs over two pairs of CAT5, one twisted pair per direction.