Written by: Michael Begley

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Thanks to its compatibility with IP, simplicity of deployment, and above all else, price-to-performance ratio, Ethernet is emerging as the leading standard for access technology. However, as currently deployed in the enterprise environment, Ethernet does not meet the requirements of a public telecommunications network. A broadband access network that carries real-time services must scale to handle large numbers of simultaneous users, offer excellent in-service performance, differentiate between services, and provide secure connections. Likewise, operators must have a management solution that helps them to roll out and maintain their networks and provide customer support.

This article describes EricssonÕs Public Ethernet solution, which has been developed using standard Ethernet technology and incorporates the reliability, quality of service, security and manageability necessary for a public telecommunications network.

[First published in Ericsson Review no. 01, 2004]