Press release
ntl:Telewest Business becomes first UK provider with MEF 14
accreditation
25th June, – ntl:Telewest Business
has become the first UK service provider to achieve MEF 14
certification ensuring its Ethernet product portfolio continues to
be industry leading in the UK.
The
Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) today announced the first group of
providers to offer services certified for service quality and
performance. Until now, every program in the history of the
industry has only certified correct functionality, but never the
quality of service.
Rigorous performance testing of the ntl:Telewest core and access
networks means customers can be assured that MEF14 certified
Ethernet services can support the most stringent real time
communications applications including VOIP and HD quality
videoconferencing.
This MEF Certification ensures conformance to the MEF Quality of
Service attributes – a requirement of SLAs (Service Level
Agreements) supporting simultaneous real-time and data intensive
business applications. The certificates were presented at a special
awards ceremony in Chicago on Tuesday by Nan Chen, the president of
the Metro Ethernet Forum, and Bob Mandeville, president and founder
of Iometrix, the company responsible for the conformance
testing.
”These results confirm that Carrier Ethernet is ready for prime
time,” commented Nan Chen. The performance was within SONET/SDH
standards for key multimedia indicators like delay and jitter,
confirming Carrier Ethernet’s suitability for mission critical
applications while reducing capital and operating expenses.”
Bob Mandeville explained, “This was the first and only way to test
one-way traffic metrics - critical for ensuring successful
converged network applications. Iometrix had to perform intensive
testing over a 3-month period. This was no ’walk in the park’ as
all services were subjected to extremely aggressive criteria,
representing up to ten times the standard of typical service level
agreements (SLAs).”
In keeping with the MEF’s attention to services to the enterprise,
all tests were run from an enterprise point of view: field tests
using real circuits on production networks with measurements taken
on simulated customer premises interfaces. All three MEF-defined
carrier Ethernet services, EPL, EVPL and E-LAN, were tested
according to the service portfolios submitted by the service
providers seeking accreditation. It is important to know that all
newly MEF 14 certified service provider services, without
exception, have previously received MEF 9 certification.
Julien St.John-Dennis, Head of Business Products, ntl:Telewest
Business commented: “We are delighted to have achieved the latest
certification in Ethernet standards - MEF 14. Last year we achieved
MEF 9 and were keen to build on that performance in keeping with
our strategy to maintain and build on our reputation for
performance and innovation with our leading Ethernet product
portfolio for enterprise, service provider and public sector
organisations”
About The Metro Ethernet
Forum:
The Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) is a global industry alliance
comprising more than 120 organizations including telecommunications
service providers, cable MSOs, network equipment/software
manufacturers, semiconductors vendors and testing organizations.
The MEF’s mission is to accelerate the worldwide adoption of
Carrier-class Ethernet networks and services. The MEF develops
Carrier Ethernet technical specifications and implementation
agreements to promote interoperability and deployment of Carrier
Ethernet worldwide.
For more information about the
Forum, including a complete listing of all current MEF members,
please visit the MEF web site at http://www.MetroEthernetForum.org/
About ntl:Telewest
Business
ntl:Telewest Business, part of
the UK’s second largest fixed-line telecommunications company, is a
leading communications provider to businesses, public sector
organisations and service providers in the UK. It delivers a
complete portfolio of voice, data and internet solutions
nation-wide.
ntl:Telewest Business sales and support teams are located across
the UK, in close proximity to our customers, as part of a
commitment to deliver superior customer service.
ntl:Telewest Business delivers
services over the Group’s £13bn investment in its state-of-the-art
infrastructure giving business customers access to the largest
alternative network in the UK.
ntl:Telewest Business is
trusted to provide critical communications to high profile
customers including: Heathrow's Terminal 5, Birmingham City
Council and Cambridgshire County Council.
For further information go to
http://www.ntltelewestbusiness.co.uk
ntl:Telewest Business press
contacts:
Rebecca Tyrer
ntl:Telewest Business Rainier
PR
T: 01256 754715
E: rebecca.tyrer@virginmedia.co.uk
Lucy Wimmer, Press Office
Rainier PR
T: 020 7494 6587
E: lwimmer@rainierpr.co.uk