Networking companies create Metro Ethernet Forum

Several networking companies have set up a group to promote the use of optical Ethernet technology in metropolitan networks.

Called Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF), the group is composed of 37 incumbent local exchange carriers, including Verizon; service providers and other networking companies. It was launched in May and met for the first time at the SuperComm telecommunication convention in Atlanta on June 6, said forum chairman Ron Young, who also is the founder and chief marketing officer of optical networking company Yipes Communications.

Metropolitan area networks connect smaller LANs in a city into a single larger network. Ethernet is easier to administrate and cheaper to maintain than the SONET systems frequently used to transfer data in a metro network. This makes the new technology attractive for network architects.

Rapid increases in the use and interest in Gigabit Ethernet for metro networks led to the group's creation, said Young. "Gig-E is the most written about technology in the last six months," he added.

The MEF intends to enhance the public awareness of Gigabit Ethernet through advocacy at trade shows and a public Web site. The group's leaders also wants to urge existing technical groups to address metro Ethernet issues as they arise, said Nan Chen, president of the forum and director of product marketing for optical Ethernet company Atrica.

The group will initiate technical work only when other groups won't. "We don't intend to compete with existing organizations," Chen said. "We're going to exist as a liaison."

The IDG News Service is a Network World affiliate.

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