Addition of Ethernet over copper and Ethernet over DOCSIS options set to bolster the Sprint SD-WAN platform scheduled to launch this year.
Sprint’s often over-looked wireline business bolstered its product platform with the addition of Ethernet over copper and Ethernet over data over cable service interface specification technologies it claims will future-proof its business offerings.
The Ethernet over copper solution is designed to use the existing copper network to transport native Ethernet signals, with the Ethernet over DOCSIS platform using the existing cable connectivity infrastructure to transmit Ethernet frames over coaxial cable. Both solutions are said to offer lower cost per bandwidth compared with time-division multiplexing services.
Sprint said the technology upgrades support symmetrical network speeds of between two megabits per second and 10 Mbps, with enterprises receiving installation, service level agreements, selection of different service levels and access to the carrier’s Compass Management Tool. The carrier notes it offers national coverage of fiber-based Ethernet access across the United States and in 123 countries.
Sprint tied the upgrade to the continued migration of voice, data and video services to the same all-IP network core, which has accelerated adoption of cloud services, and increased demand from enterprises for more connectivity options and control. The carrier late last year announced a deal with VeloCloud to offer a software-defined wide area network service to enterprise customers, with the SD-WAN offering scheduled to launch during the first half of this year.
“Customers are looking for efficiency and cost-savings,” explained Mike Fitz, president and GM of the Sprint Global Wireline Business Unit. “The combination of lower-cost Ethernet access options with the inherent cost savings in an SD-WAN solution enable us to provide both.”
The carrier’s Global Wireline Business Unit was created earlier this year with “full profit-and-loss responsibility, including strategy, sales, marketing, product management, solutions engineering and operations.” Fitz was tapped to lead the organization, having previously served as VP of Sprint’s Solutions Engineering department.
Division assets include global multiprotocol label switching and dedicated internet access with service in more than 155 countries; global SIP trunking and SIP toll-free voice services; a unified communications suite, including Sprint’s Workplace-as-a-Service platform; managed network and security solutions; web-based network management tools; and wireless and wireline access options. The wireless connection includes a partnership with Sprint wireless sales representatives to offer an integrated solution, which the carrier said is used by a majority of its largest customers.
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