Layer 2 over IP/MPLS

Over the past several years, traditional carriers and Internet service providers (ISPs) have invested billions of dollars deploying high-speed, high-capacity IP networks. This expansion is intended to lay the foundation for a network that could accommodate exponential traffic growth and deliver new revenue-generating services. Traffic from advanced services incorporating elements such as on-demand video, packet voice, wireless communications, and peer-to-peer networking is expected to consume whatever capacity providers can offer while leading to increased opportunities for revenue growth. The advanced services traffic has yet to materialize. An unintentional consequence of this buildout, however, is that ISP networks possess a glut of capacity. At the same time, ISPs are under great pressure to reduce operational and infrastructure costs while attempting to make money and attract customers with new services. One way to achieve both goals is to carry all traffic over a single IP or multiprotocol label-switching (MPLS) network