The answer is yes. Though 10GbE will eventually have a place in the LAN backbone, its first applications are in carrier networks. For the network manager, WAN services based on Ethernet promise a single protocol spanning both public and private networks. There's no packet conversion or routing required, says Kinkead. No ATM routers or frame relay access points, just Ethernet.
End users agree.
He's invested in a multimegabit connection from Yipes , a start-up Ethernet carrier building networks in every major U.S. city. This is far more efficient than the traditional carriers' hierarchy of T1 and T3 lines, which often forces customers to buy more capacity than they really need. Simplicity and capacity aren't all that Ethernet offers. The very high bandwidth opens new opportunities in outsourcing. It makes the ASP look as if they're in the LAN, says Frank Robles, vice president of corporate development at Yipes.