Ciena Corporation, a provider of advanced carrier services, recently revealed that its Carrier Ethernet Service Delivery (CESD) platforms are being deployed as part of Comcast’s (News - Alert) Metro Ethernet services.

While Metro Ethernet is viewed as an optimal solution to meet the scalable bandwidth demands from mid-sized organizations, there are associated challenges with their availability. With its nationwide fiber optic network and extensive fiber reach within its markets, Comcast’s Metro Ethernet service will help eliminate that availability issue, the company said.

The CESD advanced carrier services platforms are deployed as customer premise equipment (CPE) for business services and wireless backhaul. They provide the scalable bandwidth, high reliability and automated provisioning to help accelerate Comcast’s expansion to serve mid-sized businesses, company officials said.

Under the terms of the agreement between the companies, Comcast is deploying Ciena’s LE-311, one of its service delivery and aggregation platforms that address a wide range of application and service requirements.

The advanced carrier services solution leverages advanced software to power zero-touch, automated device configuration and service provisioning. It can also deliver up to 60 percent faster service provisioning and as much as 40 percent reduction in operational expenses, compared to manual deployments.

Comcast’s Metro Ethernet services are now available in more than 20 major U.S. markets. The company also plans to expand into new markets in the coming months.

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 company said.

Comcast’s services range from 1 Mbps to 10 Gbps. They are offered in three different classes of service backed by service level agreements and continuous monitoring from Comcast’s dedicated NOCs.

“As a part of our MEF (News - Alert)-certified, multi-vendor infrastructure for delivering Metro Ethernet services, Ciena provides flexible and reliable Ethernet access platforms so we can deploy quickly in a wide range of environments, whether a wiring closet in an office building, an outside wall of a school or at a cell site,” said Kevin O’Toole, senior vice president of product management and strategy for Comcast business services, in a statement.

“In addition, the ability to remotely increase a customer’s bandwidth via software without rolling a truck or manually touching the box simplifies our operations and improves the customer experience,” O’Toole added.

 “Used for both business services and wireless backhaul, this deployment speaks directly to our Carrier Ethernet platforms forming a comprehensive portfolio for Ethernet service delivery in terms of flexible deployment options, service offerings, operational efficiency and price-for-performance,” said Mike Aquino, senior vice president, global field organization at Ciena, in a statement.

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