Creative Thinking for Unique Access Solutions
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Dear Colleague, Ethernet VPNs: Coming to an E1/T1 Nearest You
End users, for the most part, want an Ethernet access solution that addresses their enterprise-wide network requirements for interconnecting LANs throughout the organization and allows them to manage their own internal networks and customer premises equipment (CPE). Traditional meshed networking solutions based on private (leased) lines or Frame Relay or ATM networks are inadequate to the task due to the need to convert LAN to WAN. In addition, they are not sufficiently scaleable. End user demand for bandwidth in the last two years has ratcheted up typical access data rates from sub-E1/T1 to at least 2 Mbps and sometimes higher (10 Mbps/100 Mbps/STM-1 and up) for most organizations. Some of this appetite for bandwidth is being fed by the introduction of low-cost LAN extension services. But these aren't universally available, leaving many end users with gaps in their corporate wide-area networking picture. Leaving aside thorny traffic engineering issues handled by network core routing technology, the biggest challenge to delivering an Ethernet VPN service is found in the access transport network. The easiest way forward would be to build an all Ethernet access infrastructure. Although this may eventually come to pass, it won't happen any time soon, not with hundreds of thousands of SDH/SONET rings in service around the world. Carriers have too much at stake in their existing DSL and PDH/SDH access networks to rip out everything and start afresh. What is transpiring is that service providers are retiring their Frame Relay and older ATM backbone networks and finding cost-effective ways to deploy Ethernet services over lower speed PDH links carried across an existing SDH/SONET transport network and handed off to a Gigabit Ethernet/MPLS Metro backbone. This network architecture raises several challenges. For the most part, alternative carriers must lease PDH or SDH access lines from the incumbent and deploy a termination (and demarcation) device at the customer premises. This CPE will typically be an Ethernet converter, since a router, or even a multiport switch, would be overkill. The Ethernet converter must be an inexpensive device but intelligent enough to support essential traffic prioritization schemes (802.1q) and VLAN handling (including VLAN stacking) as well as remote diagnostics, management and configuration tools, ensuring Quality of Service and saving on installation and operating expenses. The managed converter should support 10/100/1000 Ethernet on the user side (modular or dedicated devices) and E1/T1 to E3/T3 on up to STM-1/OC-3 on the network side. Increasingly, the customer will need at least 8 Mbps of throughput. In this case, the CPE should be able to bundle E1/T1 (or SHDSL) lines to provide the necessary bandwidth, without necessitating a more costly E3 or T3 circuit. Smooth Handoff from SDH to the Packet Switched Network (PSN) At the Central Office, the traffic must be handed off from the SDH transport network to the service provider's Metro Ethernet or IP/MPLS PSN. This raises the question of how to achieve cost-effective inter-working between TDM and packet switched networks. The service provider could use channelized routers, but these are expensive and over-featured for this application. A better solution could be found by deploying a dedicated lower cost Layer 2 aggregation device capable of handling multiple E1/T1 circuits and containing a number of Ethernet ports facing the PSN. This Ethernet-over-E1/T1 aggregator can be configured for clear channel or channelized traffic. It should support VLAN tagging and stacking to provide complete separation between user traffic and management data on the same Ethernet flow. Service providers
availing themselves of such an end-to-end system can deploy Ethernet
services quickly and inexpensively, over popular and ubiquitous
E1/T1 circuits, even if they don't own the access or transport
segments of the network. Customers will benefit from increased
competition among operators offering Ethernet VPN services and the
option of extending their Ethernet VPNs to more and more branch
offices and remote sites. Shanghai Mobile Deploys RAD's Megaplex to Migrate from TDM to an IP Backbone
Moscow CLEC Deploys RAD's Multiservice Access Platform
Tiscali France Turns to RAD's TDMoIP to Optimize the Cost of Long Distance Services
Teleperformance USA Saves Millions of Dollars on E1 Connectivity to Offshore Contact Centers
High Capacity Point-to-Point Broadband at an Affordable Price
The AirMux is a perfect, affordable solution for connecting remote enterprise locations, cellular backhaul, broadband Last Mile services and hotspot backhauling. Wireless transmission enables enterprises to save the cost of leased lines while eliminating the service provider's need for deploying fiber. This enables the rapid deployment of E1/T1 and Ethernet links at a fraction of the cost. The AirMux-200 integrates up to two unframed T1 or E1 ports and an Ethernet port for a total air interface throughput of 48 Mbps. This is equivalent to a net payload throughput of up to 18 Mbps full duplex. The product's maximum range is 80 km (50 miles), while throughput is a function of the distance. Read more details Low Cost, High Density Customer Premises Ethernet Multiservice Gateways Deliver TDM and Ethernet Access Services onto an Ethernet Local Loop
The IPmux-11 and IPmux-14 are customer-located
devices, owned and operated by the carrier, that transport E1
circuits and LAN connections over the Local Loop, from the customer
premises to the network edge. They are designed, therefore, to serve
as clear demarcation points between the user's LAN and the
operator's network. This allows the operator to isolate each user's
traffic, provide secure virtual private networks (VPNs) and assure
end-to-end control of the carrier's network. Cellular Backhaul White Paper
TDM Timing White Paper A new White Paper written by Dr. Yaakov Stein, RAD's Chief Scientist, presents a brief overview of the theory and practice of timing in pure TDM and TDMoIP networks. Read the full text New Product Profile
New audio presentations entitled Introduction to ATM Technology, Last Mile Modems Theory, SNMP Overview and Introduction to TDM (E1/T1) have been posted on the Tech 101 section of RAD's Web site. New RAD Web Sites RAD is proud to inaugurate two new local Web sites. You can visit RAD Kazakhstan at: www.rad.kz and RAD Ukraine at: www.rad.com.ua RAD's Brand
Identity We are pleased to report that the market perceives RAD as reliable, responsive and committed. RAD received positive rankings in both price/performance ratio and customer satisfaction. We thank everyone who participated in the survey. For more information about the survey, please send an email to: feedback@rad.com
Sincerely, |
If there ever was a networking topic that
elicited mutual agreement among end users, service providers and
equipment vendors alike, it is that the industry is moving to
embrace Ethernet in the access. Ethernet seems to be ubiquitous,
relatively inexpensive and easy to manage. But Ethernet in the
access presents a variety of implementation options that do not
necessarily overlap: Ethernet as a service should not be confused
with Ethernet as a transport infrastructure.
Shanghai Mobile, a member of the China Mobile
Communication Group, has successfully migrated TDM-based billing
traffic to its IP backbone by deploying Megaplex-2100 integrated
access multiplexers from RAD.
Comstar United TeleSystems, the leading
telecom service provider in Moscow specializing in providing services
for the corporate market, has deployed RAD Data Communications'
MAP to integrate voice and data services. 
Tiscali France, an Internet communications
company that provides broadband and narrowband access for consumer
and business applications, has deployed TDM over IP (TDMoIP)
technology from RAD Data Communications to optimize voice and data
traffic over a single Ethernet/IP backbone. 
Teleperformance USA, one of the largest
contact center outsourcers in the U.S. market, has selected RAD's
Vmux-2100 voice compression gateways as the critical components of
their rapidly expanding network.
The AirMux-200 is a high capacity,
carrier-class multiplexer that provides point-to-point connectivity
of E1/T1 and Ethernet networks over a wireless link. 
RAD's new IPmux-11 and IPmux-14 are
cost-effective, high density Ethernet multiservice gateways for
branch sites and business customer premises. These products reduce
operating expenses by delivering TDM, data and LAN services over IP,
Ethernet and MPLS networks.
Industry consensus indicates that transport
equipment accounts for 25% of the costs of building out a private
cellular backhaul infrastructure. In the case of leasing services,
transport outlays vary between 40-60% of the total cost of renting
lines, with backhaul contributing 75% of this. Find out how to
reduce these backhaul costs in a new White Paper.
A brochure entitled "Efficient Backhaul and
Transmission Solutions for Mobile Networks" highlights RAD's flexible
range of cellular backhaul solutions over TDM, DSL, ATM and IP that
enable mobile network operators to reduce costs, and migrate smoothly
to evolving 3G networks.