IEEE ratifies 802.1Qay (PBB-TE)

PISCATAWAY, USA: The IEEE announced that it has ratified IEEE 802.1Qay™, the industry’'s first packet-based connection-oriented Ethernet technology for next-generation service provider transport networks.

By adapting Ethernet technology to the role of providing carrier-class packet transport networks, IEEE 802.1Qay incorporates determinism and resiliency, helping to improve the ability of service providers to deliver the cost-effective, high-bandwidth multimedia services that today’s enterprise and residential customers are demanding.

The IEEE 802.1Qay standard, "IEEE Standard for Local and Metropolitan Area Networks--Virtual Bridged Local Area Networks--Amendment: Provider Backbone Bridge Traffic Engineering," is based on the existing IEEE 802.1ah standard for Provider Backbone Bridging (PBB).

IEEE 802.1Qay defines Provider Backbone Bridge Traffic Engineering (PBB-TE), a technology that helps enable service providers to explicitly set up traffic engineered paths across a Carrier Ethernet Network. Unlike prior packet-based Ethernet, PBB-TE uses an external management plane for determining and deploying the traffic engineered paths.

This approach simplifies the operational requirements of each network element and is consistent with current transport crafts and practices, enabling a smooth migration to next-generation transport networks.

“The ratification of IEEE 802.1Qay is an important milestone for the telecom industry, as service providers now have an approved standard for packet-based Connection-Oriented Ethernet technology and they can confidently proceed today with their IP network transformation programs,” said Tony Jeffree, Chair of the IEEE 802.1 Working Group.

“On behalf of the IEEE, I’d like to thank the 802.1 Interworking Task Group for its hard work and dedication and congratulate each member on this impressive achievement.”

“By completing the standardization of 802.1Qay, the IEEE is presenting service providers with a key capability that compliments the existing PBB standard and supports the organic growth of Ethernet in access and aggregation metro networks,” said Sterling Perrin, senior analyst at Heavy Reading. “A lack of standardization is always an inhibitor to mass deployment of a technology by service providers. The standardization of both PBB and PBB-TE now remove this barrier and I expect we’ll see increased and renewed interest in PBB-TE as a transport technology.”