Qwest's service offering in our RFI assumed fiber to Tac-Doh's buildings--but include installation if needed--and would use Qwest's native Ethernet Local Access service. Qwest's proposal places a managed Cisco 3750 switch in each building, with fiber links to local COs. From there, each local CO would provide a fiber connection to the nearest Qwest network.
Where fiber is unavailable, Qwest could provision Ethernet over ATM (RFC 2684 Multiprotocol Encapsulation over ATM Adaptation Layer 5) or over frame relay (RFC 2427 Multiprotocol Interconnect over Frame Relay). Since Tac-Doh is a figment of our imagination, of course it has fiber to each location. Companies living in the real world may have to either invest in infrastructure upgrades or wait awhile for the benefits of Carrier Ethernet, but it's a connectivity option that bears watching.
PER-MEGABIT PREMIUM: How do prices for long-haul Ethernet services compare with SDH/Sonet? See our exclusive cost analysis by TeleGeography's Greg Bryan.
RFI Scenario: Tac-Doh
TAC-DOH'S CLASSIC hub-and-spoke frame relay network has served its needs well, but now, like many organizations, the company is asking more of its WAN. It's ready to undertake a complete network redesign and is interested in the flexibility and much-heralded cost savings of Carrier Ethernet.
Subsea cable alternatives can provide a level of comfort for those concerned about disruptions. Realistically, they will continue to play a small, but critical role in the short term.
Maintaining existing network infrastructures often incurs huge technical debt before newer technologies are adopted over time.
Amid ongoing regional uncertainties, telecom infrastructure in the Middle East has expand to include terrestrial low-latency network infrastructure, which offers resilience and agility in navigating political complexities without relying solely on undersea networks.
