Comcast (Nasdaq: CMCSA) turned some heads in the business services world in May with the debut of its much-awaited fiber-based Metro Ethernet service targeting medium and large businesses. Now, the engine for the business service and the wholesale wireless backhaul offerings that will leverage that fiber is Ciena's (Nasdaq: CIEN) Carrier Ethernet Service Delivery (CESD) platforms.
Ciena is providing Comcast with its LE-311v, which leverages the vendor's advanced software to enable zero-touch, automated device configuration and service provisioning.
Comcast has set an ambitious Ethernet services foundation. Available in over 20 major U.S. markets, with expansion planned in new markets in coming months, Comcast is offering its full suite of Ethernet services (Ethernet Private Line, Ethernet Virtual Private Line, Ethernet Network and Ethernet Dedicated Internet Access) to companies with 20-500 employees, including multiple site businesses.
Businesses will be able get speeds from as low as 1 Mbps to 10 Gbps with three classes of service that are backed by SLAs and continuous network monitoring.
While the Ethernet service announcement may be new, Comcast has actually been rolling out the product for 18 months.
"Businesses really understand the value of Ethernet and how it is soo cost effective as a business continue to grow," said Bill Stemper, President of Comcast Business, in an interview with FierceTelecom. "When they see that it is Ethernet at the core, the applications perform so very naturally well and these businesses understand it.
Stemper added that the big challenge businesses face is that no amount of bandwidth is ever enough, but "with Ethernet we can double their bandwidth requirements without doubling their price."
For more:
- see the release
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