The starting point is to first build on the flexibility, scale, and agility of Ethernet as a universal service interface. Providers can greatly simplify service delivery by bringing a 10/100 or even Gigabit Ethernet service directly to every mid-size to large enterprise and major Application Service Provider (ASP)/Web hosting center. Advanced service management and Quality of Service (QoS) mechanisms play a critical role in allowing providers to soft-provision guaranteed rate access to a suite of network services via this simple Ethernet "plug in the wall."

Ethernet is the natural choice given its ubiquity, speed, and undisputed cost advantage. Ethernet also brings new dimensions of simplicity as earlier generation wide-area network (WAN) access technologies (e.g., WAN routers, data service units/channel service units [DSUs/CSUs], frame relay access devices) are bypassed with an Ethernet LAN as the service demarcation point. By eliminating multiservice WAN ports and unnecessary router hops, cost and performance are further streamlined. Figure 1 shows how service delivery is simplified as complex and costly WAN access technologies are replaced with a scalable, soft-tunable Ethernet services interface.

Figure 1. Ethernet Services Interface

The most compelling and sustainable value of Ethernet is in the new services enabled. Providers can offer Transparent LAN, Virtual Private Line or Ethernet Private Line services that scale from rates as low as 64 Kbps to 1 Gbps with 64 Kbps granularity. At the same time, protocol mediation services enable high-speed Ethernet access to Internet, frame relay, or ATM services, providing a simple migration for current generation data services.

The ability to quickly provision these services remotely from either a provider's Network Operations Center (NOC) or from a customer-managed location adds both time-to-market and differentiated service opportunities. Installation truck rolls are eliminated, giving customers faster access to the bandwidth they need. From the carrier's perspective, this translates into lower operating costs with the time-to-service advantage needed to retain existing customers and attract new customers. In the final analysis, Ethernet opens the door to the next-generation services mandated by rapid growth in packet applications and enabled by the optical network infrastructure.