“The foundation of any CSP is its connectivity, without which there is no network, and therefore no customers (and by definition, no revenue). The standard for connectivity within the teleco mindustry is Carrier Ethernet, an extension of traditional Ethernet to achieve “carrier-grade” performance above and beyond the high standards that Ethernet already offers. All the value-added services that can be offered through CSP networks, from basic applications to IoT to virtual reality experiences, ride on that Carrier Ethernet connectivity and are useless without it. This also includes virtualized network functions such as virtual firewall (vFW) and virtual router (vRouter), which are converted from standalone components in the network to integrated elements that depend upon the Carrier Ethernet service as their foundation. Moreover, such services must be just as reliable, deterministic, and scalable as the connectivity on which they reside. Thus, ensuring ‟carrier-grade” throughout a virtual central office cloud network, and especially at the network edge, where all residential and enterprise services are merged under a single platform, is a crucial undertaking for carriers.
There are many considerations to take into account when implementing a Carrier Ethernet network, and this becomes even more challenging when that network is being hosted and managed in a serverized, cloud-based environment. Ultimately, if attention is paid to addressing these concerns, the cloud-based Carrier network is well-worth the effort, both in terms of performance and in terms of monetary savings.”
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