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NewsGlobe: Currents
Zhone charges into the copper gold rush
Launches suite of Ethernet over copper platforms
by Sean Buckley
Ethernet over fiber, for all its utility as a business service for larger
enterprises, is great if you’re near a fiber. However, if you’re a business in a smaller building where the nearest fiber may be miles away, you’re out of luck.
Only an estimated 13.4 percent of smaller businesses actually have access to
fiber, leaving an estimated 86.6 percent of buildings with 20 or more employees
without fiber facilities (see Connections Up, but Fiber Penetration Spotty).
But Zhone Technologies thinks the answer may be as easy as using the
existing copper lines already present in that same building. To target the burgeoning Ethernet over Copper (EoC) service opportunity, Zhone has introduced a new series of platforms for its EFM and EoC product portfolio.
Covering the bases
Whether it's copper pair bonding, bonded T1s, Ethernet over TDM or
more exotic approaches such as MIMO/DMT (multiple input, multiple
output/discrete multitone), it’s clear there’s no shortage of approaches
for delivering Ethernet over copper.
Leveraging its own in-house-developed technology and elements it
acquired from the former Paradyne and Net-to-Net Technologies,
Zhone’s new EFM portfolio includes three new EADs (Ethernet Access
Devices) and EFM/EoC SHDSL.bis line cards for its MALC MSAP
(multiservice access platform).
Each of the new MALC line cards support SHDSL.bis and incorporate
802.ah and legacy N2N bonding.
In addition, the line cards include advanced layer intelligence with auto
discovery and traffic prioritization to enable symmetrical provisioning of
quality sensitive services such as multi-conference video or security
monitoring.
Residing at the customer premises, Zhone’s EtherXtend EADs (Ethernet
access device) (ETHX 2100, 2200 and 3000) come equipped with 1, 2
and 4 port modules, and can be provisioned to support up to 22.4 Mbps
symmetrical bandwidth.
ETHX 3000 incorporates 802.3ah and 802.3ah OAM (operations
administration and maintenance) bonding techniques, while the 2100 and
2200 use N2N bonding.
Erin Dunne, director of research services for Vertical Systems Group
believes the new platforms illustrate that Zhone is covering its bases to
address various flavors of EoC.
“I think their approach is somewhat unique in that they are addressing
the Ethernet over Copper via SHDSL.bis, via SHDSL and via TDM
technology,” said “Most of the companies in this space tend to focus on
one of the other technologies, but you don’t see it that often.”
Closing the speed gap
Despite the popularity of Ethernet, the reality is legacy ATM, FR and
private line services over T1 circuits are still the dominant enterprise
networking technologies. According to research from Vertical Systems
Group, 1.4 million US business sites use T1, while 1.6 million use
fractional T1.
At the same time, these same customers are clamoring for higher
bandwidth pipes where a 2 or 5 Mbps connection would suffice, but their
options for Ethernet are constrained to the 10 Mbps fiber-based entry
point. (See Figure 1.)
The 10 Mbps Ethernet entry point creates what Vertical Systems calls
a ‘Speed Gap’ that prevents these same customers to make the
migration to Ethernet.
Dunne believes that Zhone’s product could help close that speed gap.
“They seem to be focused on a good part of the network and a good
part of the customer base which is really being aware of the migration
aspects because the Ethernet over copper market is a migration
market,” she said. “Their gear is designed in because they have a legacy
history. They are focusing on being able to enable the carrier to do some
quick and easy migration from Frame to Ethernet over copper or
something else.” (See Podprofile: Vertical Systems Group sees growth in Ethernet services)
Bonding with copper
Beginning with BellSouth (now AT&T), which launched a program in late
2006 to address areas where it could not cost effectively serve
customers over fiber, a growing number of service providers have bonded
with copper to deliver both sub-10 Mbps Ethernet and higher bandwidth
services.
Although industry pundits are still scratching their heads as to what
AT&T plans to do with their existing Hatteras EoC program, competitive
and incumbent carriers such as Time Warner Telecom, XO and
Windstream continue to make progress with EoC services (see Windstream’s Copper Play and Retail Ethernet bonanza).
Of course, these service providers have their own unique approach to
EoC.
Windstream via Actelis is targeting customers with sub 10 Mbps service
in select markets, while TWT is extending sub 10 Mbps Ethernet and
beyond services to remote offices and XO is targeting customers with 10
Mbps and above.
Zhone itself continues to ramp up its customer base in both the U.S. and
abroad for EoC.
New Zhone customers such as Saudi Telecom Company, which will add
more than 60,000 lines of 802.3ah EFM technology to deliver
Transparent LAN services throughout Saudi Arabia, is an example that
EoC is taking off outside the U.S. as well.
Having customer endorsements such as Saudi Telecom Company will give
Zhone the credibility it needs to advance its presence in the EoC market
segment.
At the same time, Zhone could have the upper hand over other EoC
upstarts that lack the same existing customer base.
“Because of the history of their company, [Zhone] is in the product
groups already for a lot of these carriers,” Dunne said. “There’s
awareness within the carrier community, so being able to slide some of
these products into the carriers should be a manageable task.”
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