By Susan J. Campbell
Cloud computing and mobile devices that devour bandwidth are pushing telecommunications companies to the brink and have driven up the need for lease-line Ethernet. The need is causing some Ethernet service providers to have their pricing regulated, as it is in the U.K.
According to this V3
report, BT (News - Alert), an Ethernet service provider, is coming under stricter regulations from Britain’s regulatory agency, Ofcom. BT serves many larger enterprises, such as universities and public bodies. Ofcom is looking to regulate the price at which BT can offer its higher bandwidth services.
Ofcom has also found that the company is not doing enough to offer more enhanced services. Backhaul services and
Ethernet extender services are among those areas that the company is lacking, according to Ofcom. The agency would like to see BT offer its backhaul network with WDM technology.
Ethernet typically extends about 330 feet. And that just won’t cut it for most enterprises, whether they are in London, New Delhi, or New York City. But with the use of Ethernet extender products, the Ethernet can be extended much farther.
There are several ways to approach Ethernet extender
solutions; some prefer a wireless solution while others are content with coaxial cable. Other options include fiber-optic and copper wiring. The copper wire Ethernet extender options utilize 2- and 4-wire that go out to LANs. From there the encoding can be transmitted through TC-PAM, DMT (News - Alert), or 2B1Q. Fiber-optic transmission is actually quite a bit faster than copper, but also more expensive.
Ethernet extender services provided by BT and other companies often utilize
short haul data services. The short haul option can include speeds from 10mbps to 1gbps. As long as two sites are within 16 miles of each other, a fiber connection can be used to provide the backhaul services and Ethernet extender services needed.BT offers solutions that link LANs and SANs from site to site.
While the services are distance independent, they are also cost effective and
protocol transparent. BT touts itself as the only Ethernet extender company that can offer high speeds with the point-to-point LAN/SAN extensions.BT’s SAN Ethernet extender services support SAN protocols like ESCON, Fibre Channel, and FICON with speeds up to 2gbps. The UK company can link SANs and LANs between several countries, including Germany, Netherlands, Ireland, Belgium, Spain and others. The Ethernet extender services come under flat rate charging, on which Ofcom has a close eye. Regardless of the controversy of the Ethernet extender services, BT also offers seamless functionality.
Edited by Juliana Kenny