Metro Ethernet Brings New Capabilities to a Familiar Technology

Until recently, the capacity limitations of conventional Ethernet discouraged its use for connecting multiple sites. Bandwidth needs forced system designers to turn to less familiar – and more costly – protocols, such as frame relay or Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM). Compared to familiar Ethernet applications, frame relay and ATM demand training and expertise that increase the cost of implementation and operation. They also require additional equipment that adds to initial costs and on-going maintenance. BellSouth® Metro Ethernet Service now offers bandwidth up to 1,000 Mbps, committed bandwidth features, prioritization, forwarding or even a full duplex 10 Mbps connection. With BellSouth® Metro Ethernet Service, you can obtain cost-effective, high-capacity connections among multiple LAN sites in a metropolitan area. The result: lower training costs, lower operational costs and simplified change and growth in your network operations – all with BellSouth® reliability and quality of service.

Simple, Low-Cost Migration Protects Tight Budgets


Metro Ethernet lets you upgrade to an extremely fast network without the substantial costs of new equipment or training on a different networking technology. Because most enterprises currently use Ethernet in their LAN environments, Metro Ethernet interconnections require no major network changes. Metro Ethernet uses simple, costeffective extensions of familiar Ethernet LAN technology and integrates seamlessly with existing Ethernet and Fast Ethernet networks. You can often use existing CPE with only the addition of a card or software upgrade. Metro Ethernet network management and troubleshooting tools are a natural complement to current Ethernet support skills, so Metro Ethernet requires only incremental training, not wholesale adoption of new concepts. Metro Ethernet uses the same protocols and standards as 10 Mbps Ethernet and 100 Mbps Fast Ethernet and complies with IEEE 802.3z frame format, full duplex operation and flow control methods.