Charter Enters Long-Haul Ethernet Business

Charter Business, a division of Charter Communications, is deploying long-haul Ethernet service, the latest enhancement to Charter Business Optical Ethernet service. The long-haul service extends the reach of Optical Ethernet service beyond a metro area, allowing enterprise and carrier customers to seamlessly connect multiple business locations within Charter’s network footprint, regardless of distance.

The launch of Layer 3 Virtual Private Network (VPN) service also provides a new Wide Area Network (WAN) option for commercial customers that prefer the additional flexibility and scalability of a layer 3 private network.

Charter Business is among the first cable operators in the country to offer customers long-haul, high-capacity Ethernet transport across its nationwide Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) network. Charter’s national backbone currently transports more than 300 Gbps of traffic and will now leverage that capability to extend the reach of commercial services.

Companies doing business in smaller communities or businesses with branch offices outside urban areas often have limited options to acquire service from a single provider that connects all locations. Interconnection in these cases sometimes consists of a mix of smaller providers, and this implies higher pricing.? Charter’s new service can meet the needs of customers who want a scalable, multi-site network service from one provider.