Carrier Ethernet Industry Voices

Nearly ten years on from the formation of the Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF), a move which saw the creation of the Carrier Ethernet sector, predictions are that the market may only be seeing the beginning of its full potential for growth. 

MEF says Carrier Ethernet services could grow from their current US$20 billion value to between $40 billion and $50 billion by 2014, at the same time offering benefits in cost, flexibility and capacity to countless businesses and organisations.

North America drives growth in carrier router and switch market in 2Q10 

Infonetics Research released its second quarter 2010 (2Q10) Service Provider Routers and Switches market share and forecast report.

"IP core and edge router revenue in North America was the hero of the second quarter, up 15% sequentially and up 39% from this time last year, as operators put spending back on priority to handle more traffic, especially video over broadband and data and photos over mobile networks. Europe is in a holding pattern, struggling to pull out of the downturn, and is roughly 2 to 3 quarters behind North America. Although EMEA router spending was flat sequentially, it was up a nice 13% year-over-year. Asia Pacific showed a solid 10% sequential increase in router revenue, but is still behind the Chinese-stimulated 2009 pace," reports Michael Howard, co-founder and principal analyst for carrier and data center networks at Infonetics Research. (click Read More below)

Despite taking a hit, the market for Carrier Ethernet equipment is on a roll, fueled by communications companies' efforts to keep up with surging Internet traffic

By Laurence Cruz

The worst economic slump since the Great Depression was a mere speed bump for at least one technology segment.

Today at the NetEvents conference in Barcelona Spain, the MEF announced the ratification of MEF 26.   This specification which defines Phase 1 of the External Network to Network Interface (ENNI), standardizes the reference point between service providers' MEF Certified Carrier Ethernet networks and services, marks a significant advance in the MEF's Global Interconnect Program.

The expectation is that this new standard will greatly accelerate the current lengthy and complex process of matching different providers' Carrier Ethernet services  [click on read more]

According to Infornetics Research, the Mobile backhaul equipment market is expected to jump 60% in 2009 to $5.9 billion.

"We see no letup in the mobile backhaul equipment market, as service providers around the world continue to upgrade their networks to handle the rapidly growing number of mobile broadband subscribers and their bandwidth-heavy habits. More than 100 operators are now deploying HSPA, with a coming wave of HSPA+ upgrades, WiMAX, and LTE, all to handle the skyrocketing mobile data traffic. And the most cost-effective way to do that is to transition from TDM to packet IP/Ethernet, which is driving the mobile backhaul equipment market," explains Michael Howard, principal analyst for carrier and data center networks at Infonetics Research. 

 "Ethernet-only microwave backhaul equipment is beginning to take off, particularly for WiMAX networks, which have no issues regarding voice timing and synchronization. Gigabit Ethernet ‘LTE-ready' microwave backhaul products were launched this year, and more Ethernet-only microwave products are expected to launch in 2010 as mobile operators move to Ethernet-only products in preparation for HSPA+ and LTE, sparking an acceleration in the Ethernet microwave backhaul segment," adds Richard Webb, directing analyst for WiMAX, microwave, and mobile devices at Infonetics Research.