MPLS Forum Tackles Layer 2 Service Interworking and MPLS UNI Enhancements

The MPLS Forum has adopted two new work items: Service Interworking of Frame Relay, ATM, Ethernet over MPLS, and enhancements to the MPLS User-to-Network Interface (UNI). The Service Interworking work item will permit service providers to interconnect customers that use FR, Ethernet or ATM interfaces on their network over an MPLS core. The goal of the MPLS UNI Enhancements work item is to simplify the allocation of bandwidth on MPLS networks and improve the support of voice calls now carried by the circuit-switched telephone network. In September 2002, the MPLS Forum approved the MPLS UNI IA with the goal of documenting the MPLS Permanent Virtual Circuit (PVC) UNI. The UNI IA provides an interface to a public MPLS Network for connection of customer-premises equipment (CPE) and the protocols used for connecting to a provisioned PVC service. Also, The MPLS Forum announced three new member companies; Ixia, TiMetra, and Sonus Networks.
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