It wasn’t that long ago that mentioning a smartphone would garner blank stares. Now, it is a commonly used device and an estimated one billion people will have them in their pockets in the next few years. This growth is necessitating the development of telecommunications solutions to handle the traffic, including metro Ethernet.

According to this Lightwave Online report, metro Ethernet networks, which are also known as metropolitan area networks, are used to connect clients to larger service networks. Large businesses will use metro Ethernet, which is why metro Ethernet is also occasionally referred to as business Ethernet.

The outstanding growth of wireless networks is bringing on the development of new solutions such as 10-gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) to metro areas and metro Ethernet solutions. Because of its high-traffic capabilities, this technology is taking over an area once ruled by a technology called SONET OC-192 and OC-48.

It’s not just smartphone driving the need to bring 10GbE to metro Ethernet, however. The transition from TDM and frame relay to an IP/Ethernet services platform is bringing about a rapid change that can be handled by the 10GbE metro Ethernet solution.

The quality of the 10GbE is offering near-0 latency and jitter that is both predictable and reliable. Because most businesses require low latency, the 10GbE metro Ethernet solution is enticing as it also allows for the LAN experienced with consolidated data centers.

And while these performance enhancements are important to drive demand, metro Ethernet with 10GbE also offers a response time that is fast and seamless. Many metro Ethernet providers know that the bandwidth demands can spike at any given moment, and they need the predictability that is offered with 10GbE. As a result, the solution they offer becomes scalable and can handle bandwidth growth easily.

Reliability is also exceedingly important, and 10GbE is able to handle that as well. While the SONET networks set the bar high for reliability, the technologies behind the 10GbE metro Ethernet offerings can provide a service reliability rate of 99.99 percent.

The increased usage of smartphones and tablet computers, which are using applications that gobble up bandwidth, is also pressing the need for more backhaul. Operators have found that by utilizing the 10GbE metro Ethernet, they are able to outperform the backhaul capabilities of the SONET legacy technology.

Jumping from a legacy system to a 10GbE might seem like a big leap, but the rewards are unmistakable – the return on investment has been a positive aspect of every entity that has made the switch.

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