Bandwidth to Support Convergence
Convergence means combining or converging voice, data and video
onto a single network. Enterprises usually need to expand their
LAN bandwidth and set up a QoS or Quality of Service priority
system to give priority to real-time streams such as telephone
calls or video conference feeds, which are more sensitive to network
delays than data transfers. Most often, the common protocol for
convergence is IP.
What does Convergence mean?
Convergence is the merging of voice, data and often video onto
a single network. Most often that network is a company LAN with
enough bandwidth to accommodate all users and QoS or Quality of
Service control to ensure high quality voice and video transmissions.
What is PBT?
PBT stands for Provider Backbone Transport. It's an adaption of
Ethernet to extend Layer-2 switching into the WAN transport network.
PBT was pioneered by Nortel and will be standardized by the IEEE
as PBB-TE.
What is a Service Level Agreement?
An SLA or Service Level Agreement is often part of the contract
between a business and telecom carrier for line services such
as carrier Ethernet.The SLA spells out the expected availability
of the line service and what penalties the carrier is liable for
if the line doesn't perform as stated.
Will Carriers "Light Buildings"?
Some will if their closest point of presence (POP) is within a
mile or so of your location. The farther away you are, the higher
the bandwidth commitment needs to be in order to justify the carrier's
construction costs.