20 to 100 Mbps Metro Ethernet

Companies often lease telecom lines for dedicated access to the Internet or for Wide Area Network (WAN) connections. These WAN links can span cities, states or even international borders. But what if all you want to do is connect two or more locations in the same town? What you need then is a MAN or Metropolitan Area Network.

The newest type of metropolitan network is called Metropolitan Ethernet, Metro Ethernet or Metro E. What’s exciting about Metro Ethernet is the wide range of bandwidth levels available, the ease and speed of increasing bandwidth as needed, the availability of new standardized services, easy LAN interfacing and the cost advantage of Ethernet compared to traditional telecom services.

A metro area network is exactly what it sounds like. It is a network that covers a particular city or metropolitan area consisting of the city, suburbs and any important industrial or office parks. Metro networks are careful to be accessible by businesses that are likely users of their services. This is strictly a commercial service, not for residential or home office users.

Unlike the Internet, there is no public access to Metro Ethernet Networks (MEN). They are privately operated by a network service provider who grants access only to paying customers. Even those customers can only access their own data. The network operator provides enough resources so that customers are unaware there is anyone else using the network.

What type of services can you get? Two of the most popular are E-Line and E-LAN. Both are standards established by the Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF), an industry trade group. An big advantage of standardization is that you know what you are ordering regardless of service provider or hardware implementation.

E-Line or Ethernet Line service is the familiar point to point dedicated line connection. A EVC or Ethernet Virtual Connection is established between the UNIs (User Network Interfaces) at two locations. Your Ethernet packets travel back and forth on this EVC. It’s virtual because you don’t have a dedicated set of wires between the locations for your use only. Instead, your EVC shares the Metro Ethernet Network with other user’s EVCs.

The other popular service is E-LAN or Ethernet LAN service. This is a multi-point networking service that connects 3 or more business locations in a meshed network. This replaces propriety corporate networks created using multiple T1 lines or other dedicated bandwidth connections in a star network arrangement.

What makes E-Line and E-LAN so popular? First, you can get the connectivity you want at a lower cost than using older telecom technologies. Second, it’s Ethernet just like the Ethernet you run on your company LAN. For MAN applications, this is called Carrier Ethernet. Because it’s Ethernet, your connection to the MAN is via a standard copper or fiber Ethernet connector. There are no special interface cards needed. By tying your locations together via Carrier Ethernet, you can choose to use layer 2 switching to create a bridged LAN that includes all of the networks at your various locations around town.

Carrier Ethernet is designed to be easily scalable. You can get connections using copper technology called EoC for Ethernet over Copper in the range of 2 Mbps on up to about 45 Mbps. Fiber technology called EoF for Ethernet over Fiber covers you from 10 Mbps up to 10 Gbps. This includes the popular range of 20 to 100 Mbps that many companies desire. Note that if you have a 100 Mbps Ethernet Port installed, you can start off with 20 Mbps service and scale up to 100 Mbps with only a phone call to your service provider. If you have a Gigabit Ethernet Port installed, you can get any bandwidth up to 1,000 Mbps.

Could your company benefit from 20 to 100 Mbps Metro Ethernet? If so check prices and services for Metro Ethernet Networks available for your business locations.



Note: Photo of city lights courtesy of Wikipedia Commons.

Dedicated Internet Access Via Ethernet

Broadband Internet access is now almost universal at business locations large and small. But what type of Internet connection are you using? Did you know that your best option might now be Ethernet?

It’s true. Metro Ethernet Networks are not only growing by leaps and bounds, but they offer some valuable advantages for business users that choose this option. Perhaps the least known but most valuable advantage is the cost savings. With an Ethernet access solution, you may wind up paying half or less what it costs you for Internet bandwidth today. That’s a major cost savings without having to give up reliability or dedicated bandwidth levels.

How is dedicated Internet access different from any other kind of broadband service? Dedicated means that you have a certain bandwidth dedicated to your connection. For instance, if you lease a 5 Mbps connection then you can depend on having 5 Mbps available to you at all times. Shared access solutions, typical with consumer grade broadband services, have a pool of bandwidth that is shared among users. Can you afford to have your throughput stifled because someone down the street is downloading HD movies? Perhaps that’s acceptable at home, but in business where time is money? I don’t think so.

Another advantage of Ethernet connections is the wide range of bandwidth options available. Many provider offer everything from T1-level 1.5 Mbps through Gigabit Ethernet. The standard network speeds that run on your LAN are 10 Mbps, 100 Mbps and 1000 Mbps. If you want transparency from the LAN through the WAN, you can match your connection speed to your local network speed. But if you want to save money and don’t need massive bandwidth right now, then pick a service level that gives you the throughput needed to support your applications. You can upgrade later. Ethernet services tend to be more scalable than traditional telecom services, so a simple upgrade request may be all it takes to double your bandwidth when you need to.

Dedicated Internet access via Ethernet also gives you a simple connection to your internal network. The handoff from your service provider is a standard Ethernet jack. The provider usually installs a managed router at your location so that they can monitor the link to their network operations center and catch problems before they impact your business.

Are you required to have fiber optic service to your building to take advantage of Ethernet Internet? Only if you need or want the higher service levels of Fast Ethernet (100 Mbps), Gigabit Ethernet (1000 Mbps) or 10 GigE (10,000 Mbps). For bandwidths up to the DS3 level of 45 Mbps and maybe even higher, you may qualify for delivery over already installed twisted pair copper bundles. Ethernet over Copper, or EoC, is a popular way to increase your business bandwidth while perhaps also enjoying a cost savings. You do need to be reasonably close to a carrier office to take advantage of this option, but it is generally available in high density business locations downtown and in suburbia.

Would switching to Metro Ethernet Network service be advantageous to your business? Check availability and pricing for Ethernet Internet access now.

The Stunning Truth About Metro Ethernet Prices

Over the last couple of years, a new type of network connection has become available. It’s the Metro Ethernet Network also called MetroE. Metro Ethernet services have defied conventional telecom pricing models by offering more bandwidth for less money. That’s right, MORE bandwidth for LESS cost.

Really? Is this true? If so, how can it be that way?

The answer breaks down into two primary drivers. The first is technology. The second is aggressive service providers. This double-barreled business advantage gives you something that you may desperately want in this depressed business climate. It’s an opportunity to get more for less. Alternatively, keep the bandwidth that works for you now and really pay less. By shaving your monthly telecom service expense without requiring any counterbalancing expense or capital investment, this savings is pure profit. It's just what the beaten-up bottom line has been waiting for.

Let’s take a closer look at the forces that result in lower Metro Ethernet prices. If you have a outside data connection, such as a dedicated broadband Internet service or a point to point data line that connects two business locations, you are most likely using a traditional telecom service such as a T1 line, DS3 bandwidth, or fiber optic SONET service. These are telephone company inventions that have been gradually offered to businesses as well as telco offices.

There’s nothing wrong with digital telco services. They’ve matured over the decades into reasonably priced and highly reliable connectivity. They’ve also been deployed far and wide so that today you can get a T1 line just about anywhere you can get phone service.

But there are two limiting factors related to telco services. The first is that they are deployed using local telephone company owned copper and fiber cables. Part of the cost of every T1 line, and the other mentioned services, is the last mile connection known as the local loop. The cost of this connection will only be as inexpensive as it is available from the incumbent local telephone company.

The other limitation lies with the technology. Telco services are based on a standard called TDM or Time Division Multiplexing. It partitions the bandwidth of a digital line into small channels capable of supporting one phone conversation each. For instance, a T1 line consists of 24 of these channels. This is an ideal arrangement when you are transporting telephone calls, but it introduces some inefficiencies when you want to bundle a lot of these channels together to make a big data pipe.

Computer networks are not TDM. They have standardized on a packet switching technology, which is Ethernet. Every LAN runs Ethernet. So does every switch and router. If you need to interconnect far-flung equipment using TDM communication lines, then all this equipment needs to covert between TDM and Ethernet at every node.

Metro Ethernet may use fiber optic or copper based connections, but the network is running an Ethernet protocol known as Carrier Ethernet. This is a standardized protocol that is rapidly expanding in metropolitan areas. One reason that it is called “Metro” Ethernet is that you’ll only find it areas where there are lots of business users.

Connecting everything with Ethernet offers a number of advantages for network managers. You have the choice of using either switches or routers connect separate site networks. Ethernet services also tend to be scalable. That means you can order bandwidth incrementally, sometimes in 1 Mbps steps. Traditional telecom services require a major provisioning effort to change bandwidth. With Ethernet, a simple call to your provider may be all you need to add bandwidth to your service.

The other piece in the puzzle of plummeting bandwidth prices for Metro Ethernet is the emergence of new competitive carriers with their own networks using the latest technology equipment. With no tie to traditional telephone company operations, these providers aren’t burdened with legacy costs or equipment that is too entrenched and expensive to update at this time. They can focus their efforts on offering a suite of high bandwidth Ethernet services for businesses that need just this type of connectivity.

Is Metro Ethernet the right network service for your business operation? Find out by checking availability and pricing of Metro Ethernet services in your area.