Carrier Ethernet Industry Voices

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

According to a new market research study from The Insight Research Corporation, Ethernet services readily available from virtually all major data service providers,the market is expected to grow at a compounded rate of almost 25%, increasing from $3.1 billion in 2010 to reach nearly $9.7 billion by 2015. 

US enterprises and consumers are expected to spend more than $37 billion over the next five years on Ethernet services provided by carriers.

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.

Published at the Ethernet Academy:  Synchronization in packet-based mobile backhaul networks by Antonis Karvelas

Abstract:  Mobile backhaul networks are evolving from circuit switched to packet switched technologies to meet exploding demand for bandwidth in both core and access networks. A prerequisite in the evolution to packet-based backhaul in mobile backhaul networks is the ability to deliver carrier grade synchronization over the packet network to remote wireless base stations and access platforms.

Read this article:  https://www.ethernetacademy.net/index.php/20090917204/Ethernet-Academy-Articles/synchronization-in-packet-networks.html

The shift to carrier Ethernet backhaul technologies will gather pace in the coming two years as carriers implement data-heavy 3G and 4G networks, and Asia-Pacific will set the pace. By 2012, according to IDC, there will be three million base stations and 1.8m cell sites in place in this region, up 24% and 10.7% respectively on 2008 figures, and half of these sites will be backhauled by Carrier Ethernet.

[Ethernet Academy note to users:  The Ethernet Academy offers a discussion Group on Mobile Backhaul for registered members.  click here to register and then go to the Ethernet Academy Club button on left (visible only when login) and click on the Groups tab, select Mobile Backhaul.]

Continued....
The research projects that nearly all urban 3G base stations will be linked to fiber by 2011, with urban WiMAX and LTE sites following suit by 2012. Where fiber is not available, the main backhaul systems will be wireless - non-line of sight microwave and fixed WiMAX.