In 1992, frame relay was portrayed as an interim technology that would be replaced by Switched Multimegabit Data Service. Today, many believe frame relay will fade away as everyone moves to IP-based VPNs. On this topic Newsletters Enterprise Network Management. There are several keys to frame relay's longevity. One advantage is its simplicity.
Frame relay is, in the best sense of the word, a dumb protocol.
There's no extra complexity, and implementations are simple. The frame relay protocol is also efficient. So there's no penalty for using frame relay as the Layer 2 protocol for IP traffic. Frame relay pricing is also simple. The connection-oriented nature of frame relay also contributes to its longevity.