multi-service edge device

New Cisco edge router to focus on metro apps in 2009

Cisco has announced a new edge router, the 9000, which is widely expected to be the replacement for its aging but important 7600 series. The new box features a card design that gives it a very high per-card capacity, making it capable of supporting the new 100 Mbps Ethernet standard when it is finalized. The box is most likely to be deployed in an edge-of-core or metro-core application, with the latter application focusing on replacing PBT with MPLS inside a metro network. We believe that Cisco will be going full out in 2009 on the metro applications, as well as on “glamour” plays like its deal with the Yankees for an immersive multimedia experience in the stadium.

Verizon seeks multi-service edge device

September 27 2007: Verizon will likely announce the winner of its RFP for a multi-service edge device by late November, and the announcement could come as much as a month earlier. The company, like many access providers, has been looking for a device that could be used to transition customers from the multiple packet protocols used to deliver business services today, to a converged Etherenet/IP infrastructure. Verizon is looking initially for products to deploy IP VPNs and Ethernet services, primarily over carrier-grade Ethernet infrastructure. The box will have IP features but is likely to be acting as an edge router for IP-over-Ethernet rather than direct IP connection. We believe that Verizon is also asking for a PBB/PBT commitment.

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