Who Makes What: Infrastructure EquipmentWho Makes What: Infrastructure Equipment

Help update Light Reading's telecom equipment taxonomy * Connectivity devices * Where's your company? * Where's your product?

September 30, 2004

21 Min Read
Light Reading logo in a gray background | Light Reading

The time has come for an update of Light Reading's taxonomy of telecom equipment, an effort to categorize products and identify suppliers that has become something of an industry reference point.

This is the fourth taxonomy of basic telecom equipment that Light Reading has published, and it's by far the simplest.

This is partly because we've divided the market in two. This "Who Makes What" report only covers basic infrastructure elements -- the devices that provide the IP connectivity in converged carrier networks, over which services are provided. We plan to publish a companion "Who Makes What" report, covering service-enabling hardware and software, in the next few weeks.

The other reason why this taxonomy has gotten a lot simpler is that technologies have matured. It's no longer necessary to differentiate between different types of multiservice access devices, for instance. They can be lumped together.

The bottom line? There's just nine product categories in this report, compared to 24 in last year's taxonomy (see Who Makes What: Equipment 2003).

In fact, it's instructive to look at how far the industry has evolved since our original taxonomies, when all sorts of strange new product categories, such as optical packet nodes, were making the rounds (see Optical Taxonomy and A New Optical Taxonomy).

Last year's "Who Makes What" report invited readers to suggest improvements to the taxonomy -- in terms of suggesting other product categories, suggesting improvements to category definitions, pointing out supplier names that have been missed, or conversely should be deleted.

The 2003 report also became the foundation for a market perception survey conducted by Heavy Reading, Light Reading's market research division (see Heavy Reading's 2003 Telecom Equipment Market Perception Study).

All of this applies to this report as well. In other words, if your company is a supplier in this market, please take the time to check that you're comfortable with the way we're defining the market and make sure you're listed in all of the appropriate places.

If you want to propose changes, use the message board linked to the article or email us at [email protected] and include "Who Makes What" and your company name in the subject field.

Here's a hyperlinked list of the current product categories:



This category includes all types of "fiber-to-the-X" equipment, X being curb, home, the Pope, or whatever (see Interoute Buys Fiber-to-the-Pope). It also includes passive optical network (PON) equipment and free space optics gear, which carries data through transmitters and receivers in devices that are typically mounted on rooftops. There's some overlap with the gear listed as Ethernet access equipment.

  • Adtran Inc.

  • Advanced Fibre Communications

  • AFL Telecommunications

  • Alcatel SA

  • Allied Telesyn Inc.

  • Alloptic Inc.

  • Cisco Systems Inc.

  • ECI Telecom Ltd.

  • Entrisphere

  • FiberHome Telecommunication Technologies Co. Ltd.

  • FlexLight Networks

  • Fujitsu

  • Harmonic Inc.

  • Hitachi Ltd.

  • Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd.

  • Iamba Networks Inc.

  • IMC Networks

  • LG Electronics Inc.

  • Lucent Technologies Inc.

  • Motorola Inc.

  • MRV Communications Inc.

  • NEC Corp.

  • OnePath Networks

  • Optical Solutions Inc.

  • Paceon (a division of Mitsubishi Electric & Electronics USA Inc.)

  • Pandatel AG

  • RAD Data Communications Ltd.

  • Salira Optical Network Systems Inc.

  • Samsung Corp.

  • Siemens Communications

  • Sumitomo Corp.

  • Telindus Group NV

  • Terawave Communications

  • Zhone Technologies Inc.

  • Wave7 Optics Inc.

  • World Wide Packets Inc.

  • Zhone Technologies Inc.

  • ZTE Corp.

For further education, visit the archives of related Light Reading Webinars:

  • Access Technologies: Fiber to the Future

  • Fiber to the Premises: Closing the Capacity Loop



These are pairs of devices, often mounted on roof tops, that provide high speed communication links over relatively short distances, using low-poweered infrared lasers.

  • AirFiber Inc.

  • Alcatel SA

  • Aoptix Technologies

  • Cablefree Solutions Ltd.

  • Canon Inc.

  • Celerica Inc.

  • Communication by light GmbH (CBL)

  • Corning Cable Systems

  • Dominion Lasercom Inc.

  • fSona Communications Corp.

  • Furtera Inc.

  • Holoplex Technologies Inc.

  • Infrared Technologies America

  • iRLan Ltd.

  • LaserBit Communications Corp.

  • LightPointe Communications Inc.

  • LSA Photonics

  • Maxima Corp.

  • Mostcom Ltd.

  • MRV Communications Inc.

  • Omnilux Inc.

  • OrAccess Ltd.

  • PAV Data Systems Ltd.

  • Plaintree Systems Inc.

  • Quantum Beam Ltd.

  • Sceptre Communications Ltd.

  • Silcom Manufacturing Technology Inc.

  • Sunflower Technologies Ltd.

For further education, visit the archives of related Light Reading Webinars:

  • Access Technologies: Free Space Optics

  • Free-Space Optics: Access for the Future



Metro DWDM equipment boosts the capacity of storage, access, and metro networks by carrying multiple wavelengths per fiber. Metro DWDM systems now have physical reaches of hundreds of kilometers for multiple 2.5-Gbit/s wavelengths and generally around 60 km for multiple 10-Gbit/s wavelengths, though these distances are constantly being pushed out.

  • ADVA Optical Networking

  • Alcatel SA

  • Arris Group Inc.

  • BTI Photonics Inc.

  • Ciena Corp.

  • Cisco Systems Inc.

  • ECI Telecom Ltd.

  • Fujitsu

  • Hitachi Ltd.

  • Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd.

  • LastMile AG

  • Lucent Technologies Inc.

  • Lumentis AB

  • Luminous Networks

  • Marconi Corp. plc

  • Meriton Networks Inc.

  • Movaz Networks Inc.

  • MRV Communications Inc.

  • NEC Corp.

  • Nortel Networks Corp.

  • OpVista Inc.

  • PacketLight Networks

  • Pandatel AG

  • Photonic Bridges Inc.

  • Sycamore Networks Inc.

  • Tellabs Inc.

  • Transmode Systems AB

  • Tropic Networks Inc.

  • White Rock Networks

  • ZTE Corp.

For further education, visit the archives of related Light Reading Webinars:

  • Economics of Metro WDM

  • Light Reading’s 2002 Metro DWDM Carrier Survey

  • Metro DWDM 2002: The State of the Art

  • Metro DWDM Economics



Coarse WDM systems offer a lower-cost alternative to metro DWDM systems, supporting fewer wavelengths (generally up to eight) with a more limited physical reach.

  • ADVA AG Optical Networking

  • Advanced Fibre Communications Inc. (AFC)

  • Alcatel SA

  • Allied Telesyn Inc.

  • BTI Photonics Inc.

  • Ciena Corp.

  • Cisco Systems Inc.

  • ECI Telecom Ltd.

  • Entrada Networks

  • FiberHome Telecommunication Technologies Co. Ltd.

  • Fujitsu

  • LastMile AG

  • Lumentis AB

  • Meriton Networks Inc.

  • Microsens GmbH & Co. KG

  • Movaz Networks Inc.

  • MRV Communications Inc.

  • Net Insight AB (via its acquisition of Q2 Networks)

  • Nortel Networks Corp.

  • Pandatel AG

  • Photonic Bridges Inc.

  • PhotoniXnet Corp.

  • RAD Data Communications Ltd.

  • RBN Inc.

  • Transmode Systems AB

  • White Rock Networks

  • ZTE Corp.

For further education, visit the archives of related Light Reading Webinars:

  • CWDM: Optical Capacity, Without the Cost

  • CWDM: Technology & Business Case



ROADM is one of the hot technologies of the moment. These systems allow network operators to remotely change which wavelengths are taken in and out of a particular optical switching node, instead of having to manually reconfigure a network. This saves money and speeds up service provisioning, and explains why the vast majority of carriers polled by Infonetics Research Inc. recently said they intended to deploy ROADM technology at some point in the future. (See Who Makes What: ROADMs).

  • Alcatel SA

  • Ciena Corp.

  • Cisco Systems Inc.

  • Fujitsu Network Communications Inc. (FNC)

  • Mahi Networks Inc.

  • Marconi Corp. plc

  • Meriton Networks Inc.

  • Movaz Networks Inc.

  • Nortel Networks Ltd.

  • OpVista Inc.

  • Siemens AG

  • Tropic Networks Inc.

For further education, visit the archives of related Light Reading Webinars:

  • Highly Available Enterprise Networks: AT&T Ultravailable Services & Cisco Optical Solutions

  • Optical Gateways: The Portal to Profitability

  • Optical Signaling Systems Update

  • Reconfigurable Optical Networks: Optical Performance Monitors

  • The Role of ROADMs in Optical Networks



These are descendants of crossconnects and add/drop multiplexers. They sit at the junction points and at the edge of optical backbones and enable carriers to create end-to-end connections from a central console.

There are three main types:

  • Wavelength switches that string together connections comprising whole wavelengths. These come in two flavors: those with electrical switching fabric where the data rate handled by each wavelength is fixed; and those with optical switching fabric, which can handle any data rate.

    • Grooming switches that take incoming wavelength signals that carry Sonet/SDH payloads and switch the payloads at STS-1 (51.84 Mbit/s) granularity in North America or VC-4 (139.264 Mbit/s) granularity elsewhere, through a non-blocking electrical switch fabric. Switch capacities typically range from 120 Gbit/s to 640 Gbit/s and are scaleable to multiple terabits per second (see Tutorial on Grooming Switches).

    • Data-aware optical switches that boast native data interfaces such as Gigabit Ethernet and perform some kind of Layer 2 aggregation and/or switching.

      • Alcatel SA

      • Calient Networks Inc.

      • Ciena Corp.

      • Cisco Systems Inc.

      • Corvis Corp.

      • ECI Telecom Ltd.

      • Glimmerglass Networks Inc.

      • Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd.

      • Infinera Inc.

      • Lucent Technologies Inc.

      • Mahi Networks Inc.

      • Marconi Corp. plc

      • Meriton Networks Inc.

      • Movaz Networks Inc.

      • MRV Communications Inc.

      • Nortel Networks Corp.

      • Polaris Networks

      • Polatis Ltd.

      • Siemens AG

      • Sycamore Networks Inc.

      • Tellabs Inc.

      • Wavium AB

      • Zhone Technologies Inc. via its acquisition of Tellium Inc.

      • ZTE Corp.

      For further education, visit the archives of related Light Reading Webinars:

      • Grooming Switches: Technology & Market Prospects

      • Optical Gateways: The Portal to Profitability



      This equipment boosts the capacity of long-haul networks by carrying multiple wavelengths per fiber. In some cases, long-haul DWDM gear is packaged with optical switches and network management systems, to offer complete optical transport networks.Terrestrial Systems

      • Alcatel SA

      • Celion Networks Inc.

      • Ciena Corp.

      • Cisco Systems Inc.

      • Corvis Corp.

      • ECI Telecom Ltd.

      • Fujitsu

      • Hitachi Ltd.

      • Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd.

      • Infinera Inc.

      • Lucent Technologies Inc.

      • Marconi Corp. plc

      • NEC Corp.

      • Nortel Networks Corp.

      • Siemens Information and Communication Networks Inc.

      • Tellabs Inc.

      • Xtera Communications Inc.

      • ZTE Corp.

      Submarine Systems

      • Alcatel SA

      • Fujitsu

      • KDDI Submarine Cable Systems Inc.

      • NEC Submarine Systems

      • Siemens Information and Communication Networks Inc.

      • Tyco Telecommunications

      For further education, visit the archives of related Light Reading Webinars:

      • Long Haul DWDM: Where Is Its Future?

      • Optical Gateways: The Portal to Profitability

      • Optical Signaling Systems Update

      • Reconfigurable Optical Networks: Optical Performance Monitoring



      DSLAMs sit at the edge of carrier networks, where DSL access lines fan out to customer sites. The basic components are a stack of line cards plus an ATM switch, which helps set up and control the quality of virtual circuits running between customers and the upstream B-RAS (broadband remote access server).

      Large DSLAMs sometimes aggregate traffic from smaller DSLAMs. And remote DSLAMs -- usually line-powered and hermetically sealed -- are now getting heavy promotion as they can help carriers reach customers that were previously way outside the copper loop. Notably, SBC and Verizon were among the many carriers in 2004 that asked vendors for remote DSLAM solutions (see SBC RFP Refreshes Remotes and Verizon Wrangles Remote DSLAMs).

      Some vendors promote the use of Ethernet rather than ATM in DSLAMs. Some vendors are combining DSLAMs and digital loop carriers and adding routing and other functions to them, notably Third Generation Digital Loop Carriers (3GDLCs). Also, as you'll note below, this development encouraged Light Reading to stop tracking DLCs and DSLAMs separately.

      Third Generation DLCs allow carriers to offer a multiplicity of business and residential voice, data, and video services over copper or fiber access networks, all from a single box. So, depending on their configuration, they can function as DSLAMs, FTTH devices, ATM switches, Ethernet switches, routers, etc., in addition to serving traditional POTS lines.

      The original digital loop carriers (DLCs) simply extended the reach of copper local loops fanning out of telephone switches to subscribers. "Next-Generation DLCs" came along in the late 1980s and began incorporating fiber uplinks. "Third-Generation DLCs" (Light Reading's term; see DLC Vendors in Next-Gen Name Game) are purpose-built for broadband and include a plethora of extra functions, most of which were listed in the preceding paragraph (And, yes, some of them even have cupholders [see Calix: First in Liquid Refreshment]).

      Cable Modem Termination Systems (CMTS) are the equivalent of DSLAMs in the cable/MSO networks.

      DSLAMs and DLCs

      • Adtran Inc.

      • Advanced Fibre Communications Inc. (AFC)

      • Alcatel SA

      • Allied Telesyn Inc.

      • Anda Networks

      • Calix Networks

      • Catena Networks Inc.

      • Critical Telecom Corp.

      • ECI Telecom Ltd.

      • Entrisphere Inc.

      • Ericsson

      • Fujitsu Ltd.

      • Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd.

      • Keymile AG

      • Lucent Technologies Inc.

      • Marconi

      • Motorola

      • NEC Corp.

      • Nokia Corp.

      • Occam Networks Inc.

      • Paradyne Networks Inc.

      • Pedestal Networks

      • RAD Data Communications Ltd.

      • Samsung

      • Sentito Networks

      • Siemens Information and Communication Networks

      • Sumitomo Corp.

      • Teledata Networks

      • Telindus Group NV

      • Telspec Ltd.

      • TelStrat

      • UTStarcom Inc.

      • Zhone Technologies Inc.

      CMTS

      • Arris Group Inc.

      • BigBand Networks Inc.

      • Cisco Systems Inc.

      • Motorola

      • Terayon Communication Systems Inc.

      For further education, visit the archives of related Light Reading Webinars:

      • Increasing ARPU With Mass-Market DSL Development

      • Third-Gen DLCs: The Secret to Class 5 Switch Replacement

      • Next-Gen DSLAMs

      • The Role of DSLAMs in Delivering Next-Gen Services

      • Upstream of the DSLAM: Beating Broadband Bottlenecks



      Most of these devices are descendants of Sonet (Synchronous Optical NETwork) and SDH (Synchronous Digital Hierarchy) add/drop multiplexers (ADMs) that aim to enable carriers to deploy a wide range of services using a single box, placed either at the edge of the metro network or sometimes at customer sites or in the basement of multi-tenant buildings.

      They combine the functions of a Next-Gen Sonet ADM with a variety of additional functions, such as time-division multiplexing, Internet Protocol (IP) routing, Ethernet, Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) switching, and Resilient Packet Ring Technology. Some of them also boast software that enables carriers to provision services remotely. Some equipment in this category incorporates Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM).

      Sonet

      • Adtran Inc.

      • Alcatel SA

      • Ciena Corp.

      • Cisco Systems Inc.

      • Corrigent Systems Inc.

      • ECI Telecom Ltd.

      • Fujitsu

      • Lucent Technologies Inc.

      • Luminous Networks

      • Mahi Networks

      • Mangrove Systems Inc.

      • Net Insight AB

      • Nortel Networks Corp.

      • Pandatel AG

      • Photonic Bridges Inc.

      • RAD Data Communications Ltd.

      • Sycamore Networks Inc.

      • Telco Systems Inc.

      • Tejas Networks India Ltd.

      • Tellabs Inc.

      • Transmode Systems AB

      • Turin Networks Inc.

      • White Rock Networks

      SDH

      • Adtran Inc.

      • Alcatel SA

      • Axxessit ASA

      • Cisco Systems Inc.

      • Corrigent Systems Inc.

      • ECI Telecom Ltd.

      • LM Ericsson (Marconi reseller)

      • FiberHome Telecommunication Technologies Co. Ltd.

      • Fujitsu Network Communications Inc. (FNC)

      • Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd.

      • Lucent Technologies Inc.

      • Luminous Networks

      • Mahi Networks

      • Mangrove Systems Inc.

      • Marconi Corp. plc

      • NEC Corp.

      • Net Insight AB

      • Nortel Networks Corp.

      • Photonic Bridges Inc.

      • Siemens Information and Communications Networks Inc.

      • Sycamore Networks Inc.

      • Tejas Networks Pvt. Ltd.

      • Telco Systems Inc.

      • Tellabs Inc.

      • Transmode Systems AB

      • Turin Networks Inc.

      • White Rock Networks

      For further education, visit the archives of related Light Reading Webinars:

      • GFP Systems: Enabling the Multiservice Edge

      • Integrating WDM, Sonet, and SDH in Metro Networks

      • Metro Next-Gen Sonet Equipment

      • Next-Gen Sonet: Beyond MSPPs

      • Multiservice Edge Platforms: Empowering 21st Century Services – US Event

      • Metro RPR Equipment

      • RPR: Ready for Prime Time

      • RPR: Ringing the Bells



      This category of equipment is used for running Ethernet over copper access lines (using various DSL standards) as well as fiber (including passive optical networks). The uplink for the Ethernet access gear is typically 1-Gbit/s Ethernet or Sonet/SDH. Downstream, large numbers of access lines operating at lower speeds (10 or 100 Mbit/s) fan out to individual customers.

      Some DSLAMs can be equipped to run Ethernet rather than ATM over DSL lines, and thus also fit in this category.

      • Actelis Networks Inc.

      • Adtran Inc.

      • ADVA Optical Networking

      • Allied Telesyn Inc.

      • Alloptic Inc.

      • Anda Networks

      • Axerra Networks Inc.

      • BATM Advanced Communications Ltd.

      • Calix Networks

      • Ceterus Networks

      • Ciena Corp.

      • Cisco Systems Inc.

      • Covaro Networks Inc.

      • Enterasys Networks Inc.

      • LM Ericsson

      • Extreme Networks Inc.

      • Fujitsu

      • Hatteras Networks

      • IMC Networks

      • Lucent Technologies Inc.

      • Luminous Networks

      • Metrobility Optical Systems

      • MRV Communications Inc.

      • Native Networks Ltd.

      • Nortel Networks Corp.

      • Overture Networks Inc.

      • PacketLight Networks

      • Pandatel AG

      • RAD Data Communications Ltd.

      • Salira Optical Network Systems Inc.

      • SMC Networks Inc.

      • Telspec Ltd.

      • Verilink Corp.

      • World Wide Packets Inc.

      For further education, visit the archives of related Light Reading Webinars:

      • GFP Systems: Enabling the Multiservice Edge

      • Multiservice Edge Platforms: Empowering 21st Century Services – US Event

      • Metro RPR Equipment

      • RPR: Ready for Prime Time

      • RPR: Ringing the Bells



      The market for 10-Gbit/s Ethernet technology may have gotten off to a slow start, but prices have plummeted in the past year to as low as $3,000 per port in some of the smaller models, compared with more than $50,000 two years ago, and supporters are becoming ever more bullish (see Stitt: Sonet's Even More Dead).

      • Alcatel SA

      • Atrica Inc.

      • Cisco Systems Inc.

      • Enterasys Networks Inc.

      • Extreme Networks Inc.

      • Force10 Networks Inc.

      • Foundry Networks Inc.

      • NEC Corp.

      • Nortel Networks Corp.

      • Riverstone Networks Inc.

      For further education, visit the archives of related Light Reading Webinars:

      • Metro Ethernet Equipment

      • Putting 10-Gigabit Ethernet to Work

      • Stress-Testing 10-Gig Ethernet

      • 10-Gig Ethernet Switches

      • 10-Gigabit Ethernet Switches: Price & Performance – Asia Event

      • 10-Gigabit Ethernet Switches: Price & Performance – US Event



    These are aggregation devices installed either at the perimeter of a service provider's network, or within the metro network at the perimeter of the core. Edge routers typically provide multiple services in addition to IP routing, such as ATM, IPSec, and/or some form of MPLS-based VPNs. A key application for edge routers is aggregating multiple customers' traffic for switched transport across the service provider's core network.

    • Alcatel SA

    • Adtran Inc.

    • Allied Telesyn Inc.

    • Caspian Networks

    • Cisco Systems Inc.

    • CoSine Communications Inc.

    • Enterasys Networks Inc.

    • Extreme Networks Inc.

    • Foundry Networks Inc.

    • Fujitsu

    • Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd.

    • Juniper Networks Inc.

    • Laurel Networks Inc.

    • MRV Communications Inc.

    • Nortel Networks Corp.

    • Quick Eagle Networks Inc.

    • RAD Data Communications Ltd.

    • Redback Networks Inc.

    • Riverstone Networks Inc.

    • Seranoa Networks Inc.

    • Tasman Networks Inc

    • Telindus Group NV

    For further education, visit the archives of related Light Reading Webinars:

    • Scaleability & Reliability of Routing Protocols and OS in Public Networks

    • Edge Routing: Evolution and Economics

    • IP: Routers – the State of the Art

    • Metro Edge Router Test Results

    • Metro Edge Router Test: A Second Look

    • Carrier VPNs: Secure and Flexible Solutions That Can Scale

    • The Challenges and Rewards of Building Profitable MPLS VPN Services

    • Enterprise Convergence: The Cost of Change

    • Interworking: Making the transition to MPLS

    • IP: MPLS – 21st Century Traffic Engineering

    • IPSec VPN Stress Test Results

    • IP: VPNs – Making IP Safe for Services

    • MPLS-Based Ethernet Equipment for Service Provider Networks

    • MPLS: Five Key Convergence Questions

    • Multiservice Edge Platforms: Empowering 21st Century Services – US Event

    • Next-Generation Network Residential & Business Services

    • Next Generation Services: Management Matters

    • Security & VPNs

    • The Service Edge

    • SSL-Based VPNs: Access Unlimited

    • SSL Virtual Private Networks

    • VPLS: Virtual Technology, Real Money

    • VPN Interworking: The Next Level



    Most multiservice switches are ATM switches with an extra IP/ Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) control plane. The combination allows them to be used by carriers to boost the capacity of old ATM infrastructures and, at the same time, pave the way for the introduction of next-generation IP services such as virtual private networks (VPNs). There are two classes of multiservice switch:

    • Core ones used to form backbones, which typically have an aggregate capacity exceeding 100 Gbit/s;

    • Edge ones that usually sit in access networks where the number of virtual circuits they can handle is just as important as their overall capacity.

      • Advanced Fibre Communications Inc. (AFC)

      • Alcatel SA

      • Ciena Corp. (via its acquisition of WaveSmith Networks)

      • Cisco Systems Inc.

      • Fujitsu

      • Hammerhead Systems Inc.

      • Hitachi Ltd.

      • Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd.

      • Juniper Networks Inc.

      • Lucent Technologies Inc.

      • Marconi Corp. plc

      • MRV Communications Inc.

      • NEC Corp.

      • Net Insight AB

      • Network Equipment Technologies Inc. (net.com)

      • Nortel Networks Corp.

      • Tellabs Inc. (via its acquisition of Vivace Networks)

      For further education, visit the archives of related Light Reading Webinars:

      • Carrier VPNs: Secure and Flexible Solutions That Can Scale

      • The Challenges and Rewards of Building Profitable MPLS VPN Services

      • Converged Backbones: Technology Update

      • Enterprise Convergence: The Cost of Change

      • Interworking: Making the transition to MPLS

      • IP: MPLS – 21st Century Traffic Engineering

      • IPSec VPN Stress Test Results

      • IP: VPNs – Making IP Safe for Services

      • MPLS-Based Ethernet Equipment for Service Provider Networks

      • MPLS: Five Key Convergence Questions

      • Multiservice Edge Platforms: Empowering 21st Century Services – US Event

      • Multiservice Switches: Approaches to Network Design

      • Multiservice Switches: Future-Proofing the Public Network

      • Next-Generation Network Residential & Business Services

      • Next Generation Services: Management Matters

      • Security & VPNs

      • The Service Edge

      • SSL-Based VPNs: Access Unlimited

      • SSL Virtual Private Networks

      • VPLS: Virtual Technology, Real Money

      • VPN Interworking: The Next Level



      These are multiservice platforms installed at the edge of the network, upstream of the DSLAM, to terminate PPP sessions from the customer premises, maintain quality of service (QOS), enforce class of service (COS), provision services, and provide a central collection point for data that can be used to bill customers for their network and service usage. B-RAS equipment often started life as something else -- an edge router, IP service switch, subscriber management system, or even a plain old ATM switch.

      • Advanced Fibre Communications Inc. (AFC)

      • Alcatel SA

      • Cisco Systems Inc.

      • Copper Mountain Networks Inc.

      • CoSine Communications Inc.

      • Fujitsu

      • Juniper Networks Inc.

      • Laurel Networks Inc.

      • Network Equipment Technologies Inc. (net.com)

      • Nortel Networks Corp.

      • RAD Data Communications Ltd.

      • Redback Networks Inc.

    For further education, visit the archives of related Light Reading Webinars:

    • B-RAS Developments

    • Next-Gen B-RAS: The Money Makers

    • Working Text 81: The B-RAS Blueprint



    Designed to connect backbone circuits of large IP networks, core routers are noted for extremely high capacity both in the control plane (for example, by maintaining large routing tables) and in the data plane (with high port densities and high forwarding rates across all interfaces adding up to capacity that is measured in hundreds of gigabits or even terabits per second).

    • Alcatel SA