Sprint Debuts Layer 2 Services over IP

Sprint introduced three new services based on Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol Version 3 (L2TPv3): SprintLink Frame Relay, SprintLink Packet Private Line and SprintLink Virtual LAN Services. L2TPv3 supports IP encapsulation of numerous Layer 2 protocols and provides authenticated tunneling to allow Layer 2 traffic to securely traverse a native IP core. Sprint has implemented L2TPv3 across its entire IP network without having to re-engineer the network or change its architecture. The capability is supported in Cisco IOS. In the new Frame Relay service the packets ride over the SprintLink native IP core, versus a statically switched ATM network. Sprint said the service offers high reliability, consistent bursting up to full port speed and security equal to that of the legacy Frame Relay service. The SprintLink Packet Private Line is provisioned completely over Sprint-owned backbone facilities and seals a customer’s data traffic within an L2TPv3 tunnel, securely “locking” the traffic between two ports. Because it uses the IP backbone, customers would not need to build out route diversity in their private line networks. Finally, the SprintLink Virtual LAN Services enables customers to connect disparate sites running the 802.1Q Ethernet VLAN protocol.
http://www.sprint.com

• Sprint was one of the first carriers to deploy Cisco 12000 Series routers into its IP backbone, launching the world’s first OC-12 packet-over-SONET (POS) IP network.

• In March 2002, Cisco Systems outlined its Unified VPN Suite, offering a new set of Layer 2 and Layer 3 VPN capabilities across its core and access product portfolio. Key features of Cisco’s Unified VPN Suite included:

• support
  for Any Transport over MPLS (AToM), to provide transport of Layer
  2 services across a MPLS core network. Cisco’s AToM solution,
  which is based on the IETF ‘martini draft,’ initially supports
  Ethernet over MPLS (EoMPLS), ATM AAL5, ATM Cell Relay, Frame
  Relay, PPP, and HDLC over MPLS. Packet over SONET (PoS) will be
  available later.
  
  

• support
  for a new Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol version 3 (L2TPv3), which
  enables transport of Layer 2 access over native IP backbones.
  L2TPv3 is based on optimized extensions to the underlying L2TP
  standard and includes signaling enhancements, a new encapsulation
  header, and a protocol identifier to support the end-to-end
  transportation of multiple Layer 2 protocols