Carrier Ethernet vendors test interoperability

September 23, 2016

Berlin is staging the biggest ever event for testing the compatibility of Ethernet network equipment made by different vendors.

A total of twenty eight Carrier Ethernet providers, representing 90% of the world’s Carrier Ethernet market share, are taking part in the test today at the European Advanced Networking Test Centre (EANTC).

Vendors at the event will be testing the interoperability of over 100 devices, including Carrier Ethernet switches and routers.

All vendors taking part in the test have verified that the Carrier Ethernet supplied by their equipment is feature rich, resilient, and widely interoperable.

Carrier Ethernet is believed to be the future choice for network operators around the world for access, aggregation and backbone transport.

The interoperability test taking place today is the fourth since tests began in 2005, with more vendors than ever before showing up.

Flawless interoperability is important to vendors because it demonstrates to customers that they can purchase Carrier Ethernet equipment from different vendors, putting together a custom network to meet their exact requirements.

This latest test will showcase a number of first-time tests, including a multi-vendor E-Tree service test, and an IEEE 1588 clock synchronisation interoperability test. Both of these will be critical in providing next-generation mobile backhaul.

Test specification for the tests today was prepared in conjunction with participants from April. IEE, IETF, ITU-T, and MEF specifications are all being tested.

Critical test areas include resiliency mechanisms, operations, administration, maintenance, mobile backhaul and triple play services.

Also to be tested are IPTV, gaming services, and end-to-end SLA measurements – all to ensure high quality end-user applications.

Vendors taking part in the test at EANTC are: Actelis Networks, ADVA Optical Networking, Alcatel-Lucent, Calnex Solutions, Cambridge Broadband Networks, Ceragon Networks, Ciena Corporation, Cisco Systems, ECI Telecom, Ericsson, Foundry Networks, Harris Stratex Networks, Huawei Technologies, InfoVista, Ixia, Juniper Networks, NEC Corporation, Nokia Siemens Networks, Nortel, RAD Data Communications, Redback Networks – an Ericsson Company, Rohde & Schwarz SIT, SIAE MICROELETTRONICA, Spirent Communications, Symmetricom, Tejas Networks, Telco Systems – a BATM Company, and Tellabs.