Carrier Ethernet is high speed Ethernet for Metro Area Networks. It defines native
Ethernet
packet access to the
Internet as well as increasing penetration of
wireless
networks, which present a direct
challenge to the traditional
SONET
telephony infrastructure, and promises
Wide Area networking scalable
beyond 10
Gbps using ubiquitous Ethernet technology.
The Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF), a standards organization, has made a commitment to the new standard with their
simultaneous launch of a Carrier Ethernet Certification Program to
accelerate the delivery of industry standard products and services to the
end user.