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.

Industry recognition for individuals with knowledge and skills to drive growth in Carrier Ethernet services

The MEF (Metro Ethernet Forum) has today formally launched the third part of its widely adopted MEF Carrier Ethernet certification program. The new MEF Professional Certification program is designed for individuals whose Carrier Ethernet technology, services and application expertise meet MEF criteria. The MEF's Carrier Ethernet Certified Professional (MEF-CECP) test validates knowledge of Carrier Ethernet technology, standards and applications.

Vertical Systems Group:
Business Fiber Penetration Rises to 27.7% in the U.S. and 18.4% in Europe
Growth spurred by demand for higher speed Ethernet connections and new low latency services.

Business fiber penetration increased to 27.7% in the U.S. and 18.4% in Europe at the end of 2010, according to new research from Vertical Systems Group. Fiber expansion is cited as a top priority for network operators throughout the world, including Incumbent Carriers, Competitive Providers and Cable MSOs.  Bandwidth scalability, operational simplicity and ease of provisioning are proven advantages of fiber-based service deployment

Vertical's latest research results also show that new fiber activity in 2010 was substantially higher for the SMB (small and medium-sized business) market segment than the Enterprise segment, both for the U.S. and throughout Europe. Despite this trend, the majority of SMB locations do not have accessibility to direct fiber, whereas most Enterprise locations are fiber-ready now.   Click on "Read more..."

The global Carrier Ethernet access platform (CEAP) market grew 38 percent, from US$1.06 billion in 2009 to $1.46 billion in 2010.

The market climbed 10 percent quarter-over-quarter in the fourth quarter of 2010 and up sequentially in six out of last seven quarters

Growth driven by deployments related to increasingly popular Ethernet business connectivity, mobile backhaul, DSLAM backhaul and other applications

Click here to read "Preparing for the MEF Carrier Ethernet Certified Professional Exam".  The article provides an overview, guidelines and test question objectives and sample questions.

Register for the upcoming  Emerging OAM Technologies webinar

When:  Tuesday, 8 March, 2011. Time: 6am PST L.A., 9am EST New York, 11am BRT Brazil, 2pm GMT London, 3pm CET Paris

The Agenda consists of:  Trends in Carrier Ethernet and OAM, Carrier perspective and OAM drivers,  Class of Service evolution, Service OAM and Carrier Ethernet, Service activation testing, Hybrid NID technologies

The MEF certification programs are the telecommunication industry’s reference for Carrier Ethernet excellence. Launched in 2005, the MEF cerfication program verifies equipment and service provider conformance with the MEF specifications. With its new program for professionals, the MEF will certify individuals who possess a baseline of Carrier Ethernet knowledge. The new program will support the explosive growth of Carrier Ethernet world-wide by making it easier to identify experts in the field.

Professional Certification is awarded to individuals who successfully pass tests developed by distinguished leaders and experts in the Carrier Ethernet industry. MEF is in the process of authorizing training providers to offer Carrier Ethernet training courses that prepare individuals to successfully complete MEF exams.

MEF Carrier Ethernet Certified Professional (CECP)
The MEF Carrier Ethernet Certified Professional consists of a comprehensive written exam covering Carrier Ethernet technology and service fundamentals from an applications perspective and is suited for product and technical marketing managers, pre-sales and application engineers, product planners and technically oriented sales professionals. MEF Certified Professionals will be awarded an official MEF certificate and listed in the on-line Directory of MEF Certified Professionals posted on the MEF and EthernetAcademy.net websites.

Vertical Systems Group's U.S. bi-annual Ethernet service LEADERBOARD results for 2010 reflected a growing comfort level by enterprise customers to buy Layer 2 Ethernet services for their high bandwidth applications.

Driven by growing adoption from the financial, education and state/local government segments, the Ethernet port base grew 3 percent from Vertical's previous forecast of 31 percent to 34 percent.

Read the full report