IRVINE, Calif. -- Nan Chen, President of the Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF), today announced the launch of the next phase of the MEF Certification program that certifies to the recent ratification of the Abstract Test Suite for Traffic Management Phase 1 (MEF 14) – Hard QoS. This latest document specifies test criteria for Traffic Management focusing on the critical performance and bandwidth allocation attributes which form the basis of Service Level Specifications for Ethernet Services. MEF Certification to MEF 14 ensures Carrier Ethernet equipment conforms to the MEF Hard QoS attributes, which in turn enables the service quality of the Ethernet services they deliver to support both real-time and data intensive business applications.

”Hard QoS, a critical carrier-class attribute of Carrier Ethernet defined by the MEF, provides the key to make Ethernet Services ready for our business customers who are demanding strict performance and bandwidth guarantees,” says Michael Tighe, Director of Corporate Strategy of Verizon, and the MEF board member, “The MEF has taken an extra step by developing a clear and unambiguous set of test specifications to inspect Carrier Ethernet equipment’s ability to deliver Hard QoS, for which we are very pleased.”

MEF 14, the second MEF test specification following MEF 9 (Abstract Test Suite for Ethernet Services at the UNI), is focusing on performance and bandwidth attributes defined in MEF 10. These attributes form the basis for Carrier Ethernet Service Level Specifications that provide the assurance of reliable delivery of data, voice and video over Carrier Ethernet.

“For the first time, Carrier Ethernet is to deliver its promises on QoS in a standardized way and independently verified,” explains Nan Chen, President of the Metro Ethernet Forum. “Our latest test specification for Traffic Management, MEF 14, adds further momentum to the MEF vendor Certification program which has been recently extended to include Service Provider in-service certification.”

MEF