MEF's Carrier Ethernet 2.0 addresses need for multiple classes of service

The Metro Ethernet Forum unveiled its new Carrier Ethernet 2.0 (CE 2.0) standard Thursday. Hailed as the new generation of Ethernet, CE 2.0 serves up three new features: Multiple Classes of Service (Multi-CoS), Interconnect, and Manageability, enabling the delivery of differentiated applications over managed and interconnected networks globally.

Bob Metcalf

Metcalf

Bob Metcalfe, who in 1973 invented Ethernet in Xerox's Palo Alto research lab and serves as MEF Advisory Director, made the official announcement.

Building off CE 1.0, CE 2.0 expands the amount of Ethernet services from three to eight, with two of each included in E-Line, E-LAN, E-Tree and E-Access. Each of these services includes private line and virtual private line variants.

"Our first generation of Carrier Ethernet (CE 1.0) enabled standardized Ethernet services to be delivered over a single provider's network," said MEF founder and president Nan Chen. "This second generation, CE 2.0, can be best defined by its ability to deliver differentiated applications over interconnected, managed networks globally. In other words, CE 1.0 is about standardization."

A key point of CE 2.0 is the ability for retail service providers to provide consistent performance levels and SLAs to any of their customer's locations. It will also benefit service providers delivering Ethernet-based wireless backhaul services to their wireless customers by enabling them to assign specific Classes of Service (CoS) to specific traffic types.

For more:
- see the release

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