Fujitsu: Ethernet Tag Switching Achieves 32% Percent Lower OpEx Than MPLS-TP

Fujitsu's implementation of Connection-Oriented Ethernet (COE), called Ethernet Tag Switching, reduces service providers' annual operating expenses by 32 percent over five years when compared to an MPLS-TP implementation, according to a research report by Network Strategy Partners (now part of ACG Research) cited by the company.


Fujitsu said its Connection-Oriented Ethernet enables a single metro network infrastructure with all the flexibility and cost benefits associated with Ethernet, while providing the performance, quality-of-service and security previously only available via SONET/SDH.


The study by Network Strategy Partners calculated the impact of using Ethernet Tag Switching, and then MPLS-TP, across six categories of service provider operations: OSS System Integration and Software Expenses, Network Management Equipment and Software, Training, Testing and Certification Operations, Network Care and Network Upgrades and Patches. In each category, Fujitsu Ethernet Tag Switching resulted in greater cost savings versus MPLS-TP.


"We found that the Fujitsu Ethernet Tag Switching implementation of COE produces lower OpEx than the MPLS-TP implementation of COE when service providers migrate from a SONET-centric to a packet-centric transport network infrastructure," said Michael Kennedy, Ph.D., principal analyst for ACG Research. "In particular, Ethernet Tag Switching goes a long way toward simplifying Operations, Administration and Maintenance (OAM) while incorporating widely-accepted Carrier Ethernet standards. The combination allows transport operations personnel to continue using the procedures and applications they've used for years, even as service delivery and transport functions become increasingly packet-based."http://us.fujitsu.com/telecom