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| VSNL International |
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| Background |
VSNL International is a global network service provider with a network that spans four continents and comprises major ownership in 206,356 kilometers of terrestrial network fiber and undersea cable, and offers the greatest diversity to, and within, India. Headquartered in Singapore, VSNL International owns and operates a global network that offers carriers and enterprises connectivity from speeds of 64Kbps to 10Gbps using International Private Lines, Ethernet, MPLS, IP, Voice and Managed Services. VSNL International is a part of the Tata Group, a $22 billion global conglomerate comprising 93 operating companies. Its parent company, VSNL a leading provider of telecom services across India, is listed with stock exchanges in India and on the New York Stock Exchange.
In November 2004, VSNL purchased TGN, a 60,000 km undersea fiber-optic cable network and enhanced its infrastructure to include the largest designed capacity in the world. In July 2005, VSNL acquired Teleglobe, one of the world’s leading wholesale providers of international telecommunications services, including mobile, IP and voice services. VSNL's footprint creates an unparalleled platform to deliver scalable connectivity to the key global business pathways
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| Challenge |
In 2005, VSNL identified WAN Ethernet as a strategic service for its future growth and created a strategy to offer the best global and India Ethernet services. Although VSNL had acquired a first-generation Ethernet service platform with the purchase of TGN, it was “a low-cost service with limited features and limited growth potential,” says Matt Sinno, network engineer at VSNL. With the development of an Ethernet strategy, VSNL knew a major upgrade to its global Ethernet capabilities was required. VSNL identified higher capacity, granular service provisioning, advanced packet services and precision performance metrics as features required to establish a strong presence in the global Ethernet market. In addition, since WAN Ethernet is a young technology, particularly in the global market, VSNL sought an equipment manufacturer with a strong roadmap of evolving future Ethernet features so it could continue to offer the best Ethernet services over the long term without constant investment in new equipment.
“We needed a platform that could support our current service needs in the enterprise and wholesale markets, but we also wanted a vendor that was committed to regular introductions of new WAN Ethernet service capabilities,” says John Hoffman, product manager for Dedicated Global Ethernet at VSNL. “No service provider can afford to do a forklift upgrade every three years to keep up with changes in technology. The investment is too high and it makes it difficult to offer a consistent service in the market. A commitment by our equipment manufacturer to maintain a focus on Ethernet capabilities was critical during our search.”
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| The Solution |
After evaluating twelve different vendors and solutions, including packet-based products and multi-service provisioning platforms (MSPPs), the VSNL technology team selected the Turin Traverse 2000 multiservice carrier Ethernet switching platform. “Among all of the solutions we evaluated,” says Sinno, “the Traverse platform best provided the functionality we were looking for in both the MSPP and packet-based products. It was also clear during our testing that Turin has the same commitment to evolving Ethernet services as we do at VSNL.”
For VSNL, the Turin platform stood out from the crowd for several key reasons:
- It delivers native Ethernet transport and service switching (MAC, VLAN, Q-in-Q) functionality as well as TDM services from a single chassis
- It offers highly flexible service granularity, allowing a range of bandwidth options from one megabit up to multiple Gigabits and beyond.
- It offers point-to-point Ethernet Private Line (EPL) and Ethernet Virtual Private Line (EVPL) as well as multipoint E-LAN services that are certified compliant with the MEF 9 test specification
- It offers advanced QoS, bandwidth and traffic management capabilities that are certified compliant with the MEF 14 test specification
- It provides packet loss measurements, and soon will offer latency and jitter as well, allowing for a true Layer 2 service level
- It supports jumbo frames, an added benefit not easily replicated in other platforms. Using jumbo frames improves bandwidth utilization by reducing the overhead used by packets and makes routers more efficient by reducing packet congestion.
- It allows for non-service-affecting upgrades on existing circuits
- It delivers a smooth upgrade path to future services
In early 2006, VSNL deployed Traverse 2000 platforms in 17 global nodes in 10 countries: the United States, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, India, France, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, and the UK. Services were introduced in June of 2006.
“The initial deployment was on VSNL’s global business pathway,” says Hoffman. “We now had an Ethernet network that touched all major global business center and pan-India. Since then, we have added five more nodes that cover additional business centers in Canada, Australia and the United States. We continue to grow our network with a goal of offering Ethernet services to every global business center.”
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| The Results |
| VSNL’s Ethernet WAN Services fill a gap in the global market place. In the first six months, over 20 customers bought VSNL’s Dedicated Global Ethernet for a range of applications, including connecting data centers, video broadcast, data network peering, and connecting global offices by extending the LAN over the global WAN.
Figure 1: VSNL International’s Global Business Pathway
“We had initially looked at global Ethernet as strictly a wholesale product,” says Hoffman. “We were amazed when we found out that our enterprise customers were eager for an Ethernet-over-SONET/SDH solution. Most global providers, including VSNL, offer Ethernet over MPLS services. VSNL’s Dedicated Global Ethernet brings to the market a Layer 2 Ethernet service using a platform that delivers an innovative set of features. Our Dedicated Global Ethernet service is unique in the market and we found the market eager for this solution.”
With its combination of Layer 2 Ethernet service switching and transport, the new Turin equipment has opened up new markets for VSNL. SONET/SDH’s VCAT (Virtual Concatenation) technology can be leveraged to create dedicated transport circuits for Ethernet services over VSNL’s global optical infrastructure. “It has made a difference in our ability to penetrate markets such as finance,” says Hoffman. “Some of our large business customers have told us their internal guidelines prohibit them from putting sensitive data on an MPLS network, so the option of a secure, dedicated, VCAT-based circuit for global Ethernet connectivity allows VSNL to penetrate a very competitive and coveted market.” VSNL’s architecture also ensures the lowest possible latency and jitter, with unsurpassed circuit reliability and QoS.
Hoffman expects continued exponential increase the VSNL customer base for WAN Ethernet services with sales to triple in 2007, and 2008 to be even better. “We have been very encouraged by the market demand for Ethernet services. We’ve seen interest from a wide variety of industries, and we believe the interest will grow exponentially as we add new service options.”
VSNL is the first carrier to earn Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) certification for a global Ethernet service, based on testing of Dedicated Global Ethernet service over Turin equipment in London, New York, Tokyo, and Mumbai. The pan-India network is also certified. In these rigorous tests, Ethernet Virtual Private Line (EVPL), Ethernet Private Line (EPL) and E-LAN services were certified compliant to the MEF 9 test specification and the MEF 14 test specification on QoS and traffic management, demonstrating the carrier’s industry-leading commitment to Ethernet, and offering customers unrivaled service flexibility.
VSNL is continuing to extend its deployments of Turin Traverse 2000 platforms, thereby building a strong foundation for market-leading global Ethernet services. “Turin is as committed to developing new Ethernet products as VSNL is to developing and providing the best possible services, performance, and reliability to our customers,” says Hoffman. “It’s a partnership that benefits everyone.”
As Turin continues to enhance the Traverse platform’s Ethernet capabilities, including support for 10Gbps Ethernet and advanced service OAM and QoS, VSNL will also leverage these as part of the company’s own service roll out plans.
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| VSNL, Turin and the MEF |
| VSNL International and Turin Networks are both active participants in the MEF’s Technical and Marketing Committees to further drive the development and adoption of Carrier Ethernet. VSNL played a critical role in introducing the MEF and raising awareness of Carrier Ethernet into India. Turin continues to provide leadership in progressing Ethernet service definitions in the MEF through contributions to the technical specifications and market awareness through speaking engagements at MEF-sponsored events. VSNL International’s global Ethernet network and Turin’s Ethernet switching and transport platforms are certified compliant to the full range of Ethernet services defined by the MEF. |
| About Turin Networks |
Turin Networks Inc. is a global provider of metro transport and switching solutions for wireline, wireless, MSO and private networks. Turin’s iConnect™-based solutions facilitate migration to end-to-end Carrier Ethernet over any media for all types of network operators. Turin’s products have been deployed by more than 300 customers worldwide to increase revenue through expanded optical network capacity and efficient delivery of new Ethernet/IP-based services. Turin is headquartered in Petaluma, California with R&D facilities in Petaluma, Dallas and Boston, and sales offices throughout the world. For more information, visit www.turinnetworks.com or call 707-665-4400.
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