Comcast Ramps Metro E with Cisco, Ciena
Ciena’s Carrier Ethernet Service Delivery (CESD) platforms are being deployed by Comcast as customer premise equipment for business services and wireless backhaul. ?Comcast is deploying Ciena’s LE-311v, which is part of a family of service delivery and aggregation platforms that address a wide range of application and service requirements.
To help accelerate its Metro Ethernet services strategy, Comcast has joined Ciena’s BizConnect global partner program as a designated Managed Service Provider partner that gives the operator access to customized marketing programs, product and industry knowledge resources, Carrier Ethernet training and certifications, as well as technical and sales support.
And in other Metro E news, Cisco announced today that Comcast has deployed the Cisco Aggregation Services Router 9000 Series (ASR 9000) as part of its next-generation network that is delivering advanced business services. Designed to deliver massive scale and accommodate the projected explosion in global Internet traffic, Cisco’s ASR 9000 provides Comcast with a converged infrastructure that optimizes service delivery through its wide array of features and its emphasis on Carrier Ethernet.
The Cisco ASR 9000 includes capabilities optimizing it for video delivery, including integrated content caching and in-line video performance monitoring. The new platform also uses Cisco’s IOS XR modular software operating system, helping simplify Comcast’s network operations.
Comcast’s recently announced Metro Ethernet services are now available in more than 20 major U.S. markets, with expansion into new markets planned in the months ahead. (For more, see New Comcast Sales Team Targets Mid-Size Business Customers With Metro E).
Comcast offers a portfolio of Metro Ethernet services targeted at addressing the needs of larger businesses. Serving customers from an IP network featuring more than 147,000 miles of fiber optic cable, Comcast now offers companies with 20-500 employees, multiple sites and high-bandwidth needs Ethernet Private Line, Ethernet Virtual Private Line, Ethernet Network and Ethernet Dedicated Internet Access services. The services range from 1 Mbps to 10 Gbps and come with three different classes of service backed by service level agreements and continuous monitoring from Comcast’s dedicated NOCs.