'India needs Ethernet for bandwidth-hungry apps'

BANGALORE, INDIA: Although Ethernet switch revenue grew 33pc in 2010 and is touted to touch  $32bn in 2014, India's contribution to this lot was very negligible. Currently, there are only a couple of Indian telcos, such as Tata Communications, Reliance Communication, Bharti Airtel etc., who have deployed Ethernet networks in the country.

However, Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) COO Kevin Vachon feels that though India doesn't constitute much to the total Ethernet market revenue, it is going to be a major player in a couple of years owing to its mobile backhaul growth. He was speaking at the MEF Ethernet Business Services Seminar held here recently.

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The MEF is a non-profit organization that develops Carrier Ethernet technical specifications and implementation agreements to promote interoperability and deployment of Carrier Ethernet. It comprises of over 180 organizations, including Indian telcos such as Tata Communications, Reliance Communications, Tejas Networks, Bharti Airtel etc.

Kevin Vachon, says: “Ethernet is becoming the delivery technology of choice for today’s bandwidth-hungry applications. The pressure to provide sufficient backhaul for ever-increasing mobile data traffic is pushing Indian mobile operators to deploy Carrier Ethernet."

Frost and Sullivan senior analyst Ravi Pandey expects another four more operators to roll out their Ethernet networks in the coming years driven by factors such as:

-IP Migration-The migration toward IP-based networks and operators focusing on MPLS-based VPN services.

-Evolution of border-less enterprises - The increased competition which has resulted in falling prices of WAN connectivity and renewed focus on geographical expansion by Indian enterprises.

-Data Centres - Huge new data centre build-outs in the last few years that have resulted in application centralization & focus on mission critical data centre connectivity along with storage and disaster recovery.

-Compliances and disaster recovery centre

-Capex and opex- Business boost and expansion of Indian enterprises leading to a look out for technologies to provide cheaper and more effective ways to meet the capacity grow at a lower capex and opex.

-Convergence- Convergence of business, residential and wireless services.

Ravi also noted: "The Indian telecom market stood at Rs. 1,95,503. Of this total market, 68 percent of its consumers come through the retail channel, while enterprise and wholesale constituted for 29 percent and three percent respectively."