Gigabit Ethernet the key to broadband success? - News - Communications

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This story was printed from ZDNet Australia.
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Gigabit Ethernet the key to broadband success?

By Stephen Withers, 0
September 21, 2001
URL: http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/Gigabit-Ethernet-the-key-to-broadband-success-/0,130061791,120259053,00.htm

Broadband connectivity using Gigabit Ethernet over optical fibre is a "price disruptive technology," according to Ray Milhem, senior director of marketing at Extreme Networks, a supplier of wire-speed switches.

Speaking at Melbourne's Comdex and NetWorld+Interop show, Milhem said the broadband combination offers at least a 5:1 price advantage in equipment, bandwidth management and provisioning, and annual maintenance and upgrades. As such, it provides an opportunity for carriers to meet the demand for bandwidth at affordable prices, Milhem said.

Other advantages include the ability to carry voice, video and data over a single, cost effective infrastructure, and the ease with which carriers can implement 'bandwidth on demand', he said.

According to Milhem, factors driving the adoption of Gigabit Ethernet MAN links include the demand for cost-effective data transport generated by the increasing use of outsourced IT services, and the difficulty in scaling carriers' existing SONET/SDH networks for high-bandwidth connections as they are built for voice traffic.

Carriers offering Gigabit Ethernet services are typically new entrants who install a loop of fibre in a city area and offer service to organisations who require point-to-point links within that zone. This basic infrastructure provides the basis for offering other services on an a la carte basis, such as Internet access, transparent LAN services, firewalls and VoIP. Long-haul connections can be provided by reselling links offered by telcos, and service areas can be expanded by leasing fibre capacity from similar operators in other cities. "It's a new revolution happening step by step," said Milhem.

Managed data services company ECN has connected the AXA building and Central Plaza One in Brisbane's CBD using Extreme's switches and offers clients high-speed Internet access, virtual private networks and virtual LAN services. The company plans to expand into Sydney and Melbourne.

Other Extreme customers include TelstraSaturn in New Zealand (which is serving domestic as well as business customers), China Telecom, and US-based Yipes.