The push toward addressing the carrier Ethernet market just got a boost with the announcement that Juniper Networks and Nokia-Siemens have formed a partnership to provide an end-to-end solution in the transport market. The joint venture is not only timely but opportunistic. Worldwide, there are approximately 2.7 billion mobile subscribers, and the growth is only expected to continue increasing, especially in emerging markets. It is estimated that Ethernet mobile backhaul equipment revenue will increase to $2.2 billion by 2010. With Ethernet being the future as a carrier class technology for backhaul, carriers, clearly, need to invest in and upgrade their networks. For equipment and product manufacturers like Juniper and Nokia Siemens these numbers not only present them with an opportunity to provide carriers and operators with a network management solution that saves carriers OpEx and makes managing their networks easier, but also gives both companies a significant advantage in expanding their global footprint in the transport market.
Both the increase of wireline and wireless services, such as mobile video, messaging, online gaming, which require significant amounts of bandwidth and thus make the dependence on T1 circuits an expensive vehicle for delivering 3G and 4G WiMAX services, and the worldwide increase of mobile subscribers that are demanding a high and consistent level of reliability and performance from their providers are main drivers behind the push for carrier Ethernet as both a transport vehicle and service offering.
Carriers repeatedly identify transport as being their single, most costly expense. Data services deliver lower per bit revenue than voice services, and carriers recognize that to realize profits they need to reduce the cost per bit of transporting data traffic. Carriers expect cost-effective, scalable Ethernet to drive down their operating expenses while letting them have the flexibility to turn on bandwidth, something that they never had with legacy networks in the mobile space. The Juniper and Nokia Siemens’ carrier Ethernet solution creates a more complete end-to-end solution for the MX & A-Series platform to deliver an efficient, seamlessly integrated, easy-to-manage unified carrier Ethernet solution that supports all services on a single network. It offers point-to-point, point-to-multipoint or multipoint to multipoint circuit with a full OAM functionality that is normally associated with SONET/SDH TDM-based infrastructure, which is cost effective and has the scaling advantage of a packet Ethernet switching infrastructure. The OSS, which is a critical component of their solution, has been developed to target those carriers that are familiar with a SONET/SDH network and are used to a point and click environment. As a function of the solution, the access network management system will directly interface to the access component, figuring all the necessary functionality of the system. In addition, this end-to-end solution allows Juniper to extend deeper into the enterprise network, for example, Ethernet demarcation via its MX product line.
Juniper’s current BX-Series should still have a market for service providers that are looking to extend MPLS to the backhaul, while this new venture will allow either company to offer a circuit transport-type Ethernet product with proper OSS.
Carrier Ethernet as a service is showing dominance, and as more companies want Ethernet for their multimedia communications, VoIP services, equipment manufacturers will feel more pressure to develop products and services to meet those needs. For Juniper and Nokia Siemens it’s all about focusing on their customers and developing a solution and enhancements that are “always relevant and better than anything on the market.” This alliance and single-minded focus can only benefit the carrier Ethernet market.
Tags: Ray Mota Juniper Nokia Siemens Partnership