Transport Technology

2008 Year in Review: The battle against bigger bytes

Dan O'Shea — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 00:18:16 -0500

The Internet is disappearing before our eyes, or rather, the network capacity supporting the Internet is disappearing, running dry beneath our fingertips. Nemertes Research just last month renewed the concern it first discussed in a late 2007 study that broadband user demand will out-strip Internet bandwidth availability within a few short years. The research was followed by other predictions of unheard of exabytes and zettabytes of traffic weighing on Internet infrastructures.

Amid economic downturn and shrinking capex, it seems unlikely that telecom network operators will be able to keep up and build the necessary capacity into their networks, though one of the hottest technology innovations of the past year had to do with 100 Gbps transport technology. Many carriers tested it and said they will need it soon. Will they be willing to pay for it? And can 100G helps the telecom industry widen its pipes enough to keep Internet congestion at bay?

Spotlight: Schaeffer-haters to the left

Dan O'Shea — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 10:23:19 -0400

Is it possible for "one of the most hated men in telecom" to receive a magazine tribute? It is indeed, as Forbes, in an upcoming print story already posted online, profiles Cogent Communcations CEO Dave Schaeffer, who it describes with those very words. The story highlights much of what telecom industry insiders already know about how Cogent's ultra-aggressive pricing and marketing measures have helped define the business bandwidth market's competitive landscape. The story notes that Cogent carries 17 percent of all Internet traffic, and is moving more "bit-miles" per year than many larger carriers.

The story also notes Cogent's current challenges: Its stock is down about 62 percent this year, and it had earlier said it might miss Wall Street earnings expectations. The story does not mention, however, Cogent's revamp of its sales effort earlier this year in an effort to reduce churn and boost sales productivity.

Cogent's ability to get under the skin of--and under-cut--its competitors is part of what has earned Schaeffer the "hated" tag, which like most "hated men," he embraces to get his company that much more notice (as the photo accompanying the story proves). Actually, Schaeffer's willingness to talk openly about his competitive battles and air other carriers' dirty laundry might have even more to do with that tag.

For more:
- read this story at Forbes

Fujitsu bolsters PBT's market promise

Dan O'Shea — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 09:07:18 -0400

Fujitsu Network Communications said it will now recommend provider backbone transport technology over other Layer 2 transport technologies in its Flashwave 9500 packet optical platform. The endorsement comes just in time for next week's NXTcomm trade show, where PBT is sure to be a hot topic after the technology was recently given the cold shoulder by BT and Verizon Communications.

The vendor has always intended to provide PBT support in some way, though it had previously recommended MPLS over pseudowire transport. So, maybe PBT is not as much on the bubble as recent carrier moves made it seem. After all, a major optical vendor would not be doing this without some carrier endorsement of its own.

For more:
- see this story at Telephony

Related articles:
BT's change of PBT plans affected Nortel and Nokia Siemens Networks. PBT report
MPLS records win over PBT at BT MPLS report
PBT was one of the most talked-about network technologies last year PBT report
What's next for PBT? Here's one man's opinion PBT report

PBT takes hits, keeps NXTcomm starring role

Dan O'Shea — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 18:14:55 -0400

Provider backbone transport technology was already one of the hottest telecom topics of the last year or so, but BT's recent de-emphasis of PBT and Verizon's shunning of the technology has made it seem even more controversial than it already was. Meanwhile, a number of vendors are still betting on PBT, also known by its standard moniker, provider backbone bridging-transport engineering. Many of those vendors will have PBT solutions on display at NXTcomm, and you can expect some of their new pitches to include talk of which deployment scenarios are most appropriate for PBT--and which ones are not.

Adam Dunsky, co-founder of connection-oriented Ethernet technology vendor Ethos Networks told FierceTelecom this week that PBT probably was over-hyped as a solution all Ethernet challenges, including those in the network core, where MPLS might often be more appropriate. He said that now the opposite may be happening, with some harsh negative reactions to PBT since former PBT champion BT is downplaying of the technology.

Nxtcomm 2008: Let the gambling begin

Dan O'Shea — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:19:07 -0400

Even if NXTcomm 2008 was not going to be held in Las Vegas next week, June 16-19, it would still shape up as something of a gambler's paradise (Or should I say "pair-a-dice"? Probably not, but too late now). That is because a number of the technologies that look to be playing a central role as hot topics of the event are not complete odds-on favorites to succeed. Of course, that means that if they do succeed, the pay-off will be bigger for those companies who were willing to make the bet.

Those technologies and technology segments include provider backbone transport technology, 100 Gbps transport solutions, IPTV, green technology and broadband traffic management. Each of these segments already has found strong support within the telecom industry, but each also is dogged by lingering questions. That makes NXTcomm the perfect place and time to debate their future. For more about each of these areas and what to watch for at the show, see below.

Beyond these five notable areas, there will be some other key themes to explore at the show. Here is a list of top 10 questions you just might overhear--or maybe even ask yourself--while at the show in Las Vegas next week:

What role should telcos play relative to the content industry?
How and when will Net neutrality affect my business?
Can the traditional landline market be saved?
Where does the IP transition really stand?
What innovations are guiding the next generation of subscriber management?
Will a McCain presidency or an Obama presidency be better for telecom?
How much worse will the economy get, and how badly will it hurt telecom companies?
What does it mean to roll the "hard eight"?
Where's Celine Dion?
Was that the artist formerly known as The Artist Formerly Known As Prince?

Ok, so maybe no one will really want to know where Celine Dion is, but you can take the rest of those to the bank.

But, seriously... I can't remember the last time so many new telecom technologies and so many technology-related issues were at such a pivotal point heading into NXTcomm/Globalcomm-TelecomNext/Supercomm. You may not come away with answers to everything, but I think you will come away rich with new information and perspectives, even if you are a bit less well-off financially. -Dan

New audiocast: Setting the stage for 100G

Dan O'Shea — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 09:55:27 -0400

Around this time last year, 40 Gbps transport networks were starting to become a reality for some network operators, but were still a long-term goal for others. What a surprise it was earlier this year to suddenly see a dramatic shift to discussion of 100 Gbps. All of that Internet video is certainly having an impact on carrier strategies, and now there is reason to believe a few carriers will speed to 100G deployment within the next 18 to 24 months. Rocky Kler, vice president and general manager of the optical network systems divison at NEC America, recently talked to FierceTelecom about the 100G fuss and what will result from it.

For more:
- check out our audiocast of that interview now

-Dan

WDM gear sales finally move ahead of SONET

Dan O'Shea — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 15:27:32 -0400

About 12 years ago this spring, as the industry was talking about the big news of from the U.S. telecom industry's biggest trade show (Supercomm 1996), a lot of it had to do with wavelength division multiplexing technology. WDM was the next big thing in network transport technology, and looked to be the sure successor to synchronous optical networking (SONET) technology. The only question (well, maybe one of very few questions) about WDM's bright future was, how long before it over-takes SONET in telco networks? Considering the lengthy lifetimes that telcos squeezed out of their gear, it was a very good question.

We still do not have a direct answer to that question, but what we do know, thanks to a recent Dell'Oro Group study, is that sales of WDM gear just moved ahead of sales of SONET gear for the very first time. So, if you had 1998 in the WDM-beats-SONET pool, you were way wrong ...

For more:
- check out this press release from Dell'Oro

Related articles:
Verizon eyes evolution to WDM-PON FierceIPTV report
Here's a bunch more WDM news: WDM report

Report: Verizon favors VPLS over PBT

Dan O'Shea — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 09:35:50 -0400

After BT recently back-burnered provider backbone transport technology, Verizon Communications is now said to be favoring widely deployed VPLS over new tech flavor PBT. The U.S. telco is looking to implement some aspects of provider backbone bridging, similar to PBT, in some areas, but initial interest is PBT has waned, according to sources who spoke to Light Reading.

The de-emphasizing of PBT may put some vendors in a tight spot as NXTcomm approaches. PBT-related announcements and discussions were sure to be prominently featured at the show. Now, vendors have to decide whether to defend PBT or fall back to the old non-committal, technology-agnostic statements like "we support whatever the customer wants."

For more:
- see this story at Light Reading

Related articles:
MPLS racks up big win over PBT MPLS report
PBT could re-emerge as carriers face the Ethernet future PBT report

NSN cooling on PBT after BT wavers

Dan O'Shea — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 08:53:58 -0400

While Nortel Networks is defending provider backbone transport technology in the face of primary customer BT pushing PBT onto the back burner, Nokia Siemens Networks, BT's other PBT supplier of record, seems to be walking away from it. At least, that is the indication from comments NSN executives uttered when meeting with analysts this week. NSN CEO Simon Beresford Wylie, in giving analysts an update on the first 14 months following the Nokia-Siemens merger, said the company must be cold and calculating about the technologies in which it chooses to invest its R&D dollars, sticking with innovations that have really profit potential. Meanwhile, NSN CTO Stefan Scholz said the vendor is now working with multi-protocol label switching, the technology for which PBT was intended as an alternative. Do the math on that one, and it appears Nortel could be PBT's primary proponent going forward--not that Nortel is uncomfortable with that position.

For more:
- read this story at Light Reading Europe

Related articles:
MPLS records win over PBT at BT MPLS report
PBT was one of the most talked-about network technologies last year PBT report
What's next for PBT? Here's one man's opinion PBT report