The Evolution of Edge Routing: Today s High-Performance Converged Edge

Transcription

1 APPLICATION NOTE The Evolution of Edge Routing: Today s High-Performance Converged Edge New services and cost-effective operations with the Alcatel-Lucent 7750 Service Router as a converged IP services edge platform

2 Abstract To remain competitive, telecommunications service providers need to continuously enhance their residential, business and mobile portfolios. They need to transition away from legacy services toward all-ip offerings and remedy infrastructure issues that have resulted in service network silos. Edge convergence plays a critical role in this transition. IP technologies and service routing platforms now allow common hardware and software to be adopted at the various network edges. This provides a consistent touch point for Quality of Service (QoS) and OA&M across all service domains, reducing time and effort for Operations Support System (OSS) integration. A converged IP services edge at the edge of the High Leverage Network (HLN) architecture grows more compelling as emerging applications drive interactivity across disparate access domains and the cost of dedicated edge infrastructure and service overlays rises. This Application Note discusses the drivers for and benefits of implementing a converged IP services edge and, specifically, the deployment of a solution based on the Alcatel-Lucent 7750 Service Router. Case studies illustrate how Tier One service providers in Europe and North America have successfully deployed the 7750 Service Router in this scenario.

3 Table of contents 1 Service trends at the converged IP services edge 2 An opportunity for infrastructure refresh 2 The converged IP services edge explained 3 Benefits of a converged IP services edge 4 Alcatel-Lucent 7750 Service Router for the converged IP services edge 5 Key features of the Alcatel-Lucent 7750 SR for the business services edge 5 Key features of the Alcatel-Lucent 7750 SR for the mobile packet core and backhaul 6 Key features of the Alcatel-Lucent 7750 SR for the residential services edge 7 Customer examples 7 European service provider: New business model 8 A competitive service provider in North America 9 Conclusion

4 Service trends at the converged IP services edge The past decade has witnessed service innovations across all communications markets. Today s residential broadband delivers triple play services, including managed IPTV services in high definition. In business services, Ethernet has become the default customer hand-off, boosting throughput and opening the door for the complementary mix of Layer 2 and Layer 3 VPNs. With growing deployment of Long Term Evolution (LTE) wireless technology, delivery of any broadband services over any access network wireline or wireless is very much a reality. The network edge is instrumental in delivering service innovation because that is where processing and enforcement of service policies occurs for each IP packet flow. Any strategy to converge and consolidate disparate edge devices must, therefore, include an evaluation of current and future service trends across the principal service segments: Business services: Providers have deployed IP VPNs and Carrier Ethernet services to accommodate higher bandwidth demand. Now, they must also support IPv6 VPNs, multicast VPNs and other new services as IPv4 address exhaust hits. Current Multiservice Edge Routers (MSERs) used for delivering such services are nearing their end of life. They cannot support higher speeds and higher performance without operator investment in new equipment and upgrades. Residential broadband: To say that IPTV and IP-video has had a significant impact is an understatement. Legacy Broadband Remote Access Service (BRAS) equipment is rapidly nearing end of life, and the centralized BRAS model is a bottleneck for high-speed Internet services. This situation will worsen as providers begin to cache video content closer to subscribers. Wireless: Networks have now been built out for commercial service offerings. The potential exists to branch out and offer mobile backhaul services, based on last mile access networks and the ability to reach a majority of cell sites in the operating region. Mobile networks have changed tremendously over the last decade, from 2G to 3G, and they are now moving to Long Term Evolution and an entirely IP-based packet infrastructure. Two principal factors are notable in the evolution of all of these transitioning service segments: First, demand for bandwidth continues to escalate. Traffic on the network continues to increase as applications in all segments use more video and multimedia content. Second, networks are converging on IP as the common underlying technology. IP has become a ubiquitous presence in every application protocol stack. All significant applications are essentially IP-based. As a result, IP/MPLS and Ethernet (with Ethernet s close inter-relationship to IP) are the logical technologies of choice for transport of applications and services, because they deliver the bandwidth and performance necessary to support new and emerging services. The Evolution of Edge Routing: Today s High-Performance Converged Edge Application Note 1

5 An opportunity for infrastructure refresh A combination of service trends and innovations, increasing bandwidth demand and IP convergence is driving change in the way providers must deliver services. This change, in turn, necessitates an architectural evolution of service provider networks. Service providers must increase operational efficiency while they move to support new services. Cost and complexity cannot increase; they must be reduced through this evolution. In addition, it is important to maintain a high quality of experience for end users to maintain customer loyalty and reduce subscriber churn. During recent infrastructure refresh cycles, service providers commonly built service overlay networks. These dedicated infrastructures were implemented and deployed on a per-service basis. They included, for example, business service infrastructures or residential networks. Typically, a best-of-breed strategy was used to build out these service-specific infrastructures, leading to various vendors equipment (and associated EMS/NMS, CLIs, OS and so forth) being deployed in the network. Today, these service overlays are increasingly difficult to operate, because cost and complexity have increased with service and network growth. The time is right to implement a converged IP services edge to address the factors driving today s architectural evolution and meet the need to simplify operations, reduce OPEX and increase efficiency. It is no longer necessary to build service overlays. There is no need to buy new BRAS/BNG devices when the required functionality can be enabled on a converged edge platform. If expanding into residential services from a business services customer base (or vice versa), a converged edge platform can be leveraged to deliver new service offerings. Today, it is possible to standardize on one IP services edge device, and the Alcatel-Lucent 7750 Service Router is ideally suited to fulfill the role of a converged IP services edge platform. The converged IP services edge explained At a high level, a converged IP services edge can be defined as a platform combining any two or more IP-based services. Such services include (but are not limited to) Layer 2/Layer 3 business VPNs, legacy business services such as Frame Relay/ATM and leased lines, high-speed Internet access services, 2G/3G/4G mobile packet core services and mobile backhaul. A converged IP edge can be implemented in two ways: A fully converged IP edge provides a single edge for all services, with one platform and one network infrastructure, uniting all separate service networks. An operationally converged IP edge uses consistent edge platform technology while maintaining separate, service-specific infrastructures, such as business, residential and mobility service networks. Providers may choose to implement fully or operationally converged edges based on various factors. These considerations include their size, current services offered, the size of their customer base, their business objectives and their organizational structure. Tier 1 providers may prefer to maintain separate service infrastructures (though they do not have to) or structural separation, because of the size of their infrastructure and customer base. They will still derive the scaling and operational benefits that result from operationally converging their network edges. These benefits include simplified sparing strategies, reduced training costs and ease of OSS integration into back-end systems, among others. 2 The Evolution of Edge Routing: Today s High-Performance Converged Edge Application Note

6 To more quickly derive and realize the potential benefits, Tier 2 or Tier 3 operators are apt to pursue fully converged service architectures more aggressively and move away from service overlays. Their size, reach and service portfolio may be suited to a full edge convergence. Figure 1 shows these possible convergence paths. Figure 1. Typical convergence paths for Tier 1 or Tier 2/3 operators Tier 1 incumbents Scale drives structural separation OPEX drives common hardware and software Tier 2/3 incumbents and challengers Scale drives structural consolidation OPEX and CAPEX drive common platform Residential Residential Business Business Mobile Mobile Time Time Benefits of a converged IP services edge Implementation of a converged IP services edge has multiple benefits. A single edge will help drive revenues, accelerate the time-to-revenue of new services, ease operations and reduce OPEX. It will also allow greater scalability with access-independent intelligence in the network. Substantial operational benefits are possible for all types of providers by unifying their element and network management systems. Common software (OS), CLI and OAM tools allow a consistent touch point, and this helps operators implement QoS policies more easily, provision and de-provision services faster and ensure SLA parameters are achieved. In addition, there are lower costs in introducing new NMS/CLI systems testing and certification. With only one system to learn, training costs are decreased. Sparing and lab costs are also reduced, as fewer spares are required and some of this equipment can be utilized in the lab prior to deployment in the production network. These advantages translate into significant operational simplifications and corresponding OPEX savings. BENEFITS OF A CONVERGED IP SERVICES EDGE INCLUDE: Accelerated delivery of new services to market through common OSS and OAM Reduced costs for training, certification and approvals Reduced equipment sparing costs Faster provisioning, troubleshooting and SLA verification Seamless service possibilities, such as multi-screen The Evolution of Edge Routing: Today s High-Performance Converged Edge Application Note 3

7 In a business case developed by Alcatel-Lucent and Bell Labs, modeling showed the savings offered by a fully or operationally converged IP edge. A fully converged IP edge requires fewer nodes and has lower startup and ongoing operational expenses. In addition, its deployment can realize 28 percent total cost of ownership savings (62 percent OPEX savings and 24 percent CAPEX savings) over five years. While having the same number of nodes, an operationally converged IP edge achieves lower upfront and ongoing OPEX, yielding OPEX savings of up to 35 percent. (For further details of this business case, please request a copy from your Alcatel-Lucent sales representative.) Alcatel-Lucent 7750 Service Router for the converged IP services edge Alcatel-Lucent is uniquely positioned to help implement the converged IP services edge with its 7750 Service Router (SR). Deployed in more than 400 networks in 110 countries, the Alcatel-Lucent 7750 SR has been chosen by 26 of the top 30 carriers worldwide. As shown in Figure 2, the 7750 SR plays a pivotal role in three main service domains: business services, mobile packet core and backhaul, and the delivery of residential services. Figure 2. Positioning of the 7750 SR in powerful convergence roles Business services edge Third generation VPLS, VLLs, IP-VPNs, multicast PVNs Support for legacy services Non-stop services and application assurance Proven scale in real-world mixed-service environments CESR/L2 PE MSE/L3 PE Mobile packet core and backhaul LTE evolved packet core gateways (PGW and SGW) 2G/3G GGSN Advanced packet processing (DPI) and security (IPsec) Multi-service IP/MPLS for any-g RAN aggregation Seamless interop with 7705 SAR for cell/poc sites EPC/GGSN Mobile BH Residential services edge Fully featured BNG and operational compatibility with legacy PPPoE-based BRAS systems Industry-leading platform capacity, port and subscriber densities Granular per-subscriber, per-service, per-application policy management and control 7750 SR BNG/BRAS The Alcatel-Lucent 7750 SR provides industry-leading platform capacities, continuous and efficient bandwidth scaling (including interface speed and density) and a migration path from 10 Gb/s to 100 Gb/s infrastructures and beyond. Because of our industry-leading network processor family, throughput and packet processing are enabled for the highest levels of service performance. The 7750 SR provides density and footprint advantages, along with the required interface types, which help reduce capital expense while more fully utilizing network capacity. Economies of scale can also be achieved by consolidating devices where possible and reducing sparing and lab costs. The use of specialized high-speed silicon developed in-house permits green service routing, because a high level of subscribers and traffic can be accommodated per unit of rack space. The Alcatel-Lucent 7750 SR is complemented by many products, allowing the construction of seamless, consistent end-to-end solutions. In particular, the Alcatel-Lucent 5620 Service Aware Manager (SAM) provides comprehensive support for Fault, Configuration, Accounting, Performance and Security (FCAPS). The 5620 SAM application suite is a tightly-integrated management system that enables provisioning of an end-to-end service and network bearers using wizards or point-and-click configuration from a single application. These capabilities eliminate the need to individually configure each device in the data path. The 5620 SAM greatly reduces the typical complexity and risk of provisioning complex services using today s edge routers. 4 The Evolution of Edge Routing: Today s High-Performance Converged Edge Application Note

8 Key features of the Alcatel-Lucent 7750 SR for the business services edge The Alcatel-Lucent 7750 SR can be the central component of a business networking services solution. The solution enables a wide range of IP transformation projects and evolution to packetbased network architectures. In this case, converged IP voice, data and video can run over business VPNs tailored to enterprise customers unique requirements. To fully address enterprise VPN service needs, Alcatel-Lucent Layer 2 and Layer 3 business VPNs provide complementary service offerings, leveraging a common IP/MPLS network and service-aware management. The level of service intelligence can be extended still further with the addition of Multiservice Integrated Service Adapter (MS-ISA) modules, which virtualize advanced service capabilities into the service edge. For example, with the MS-ISA, and Application Assurance software, service providers can differentiate their business network services by allowing enterprises to monitor and control their applications as they transit the WAN. In business service applications, the Alcatel-Lucent 7750 SR s advanced service delivery capabilities include: Point-to-point, point-to-multipoint and any-to-any business VPN services, such as virtual private LAN services (VPLS) or Ethernet LAN (ELAN) services; Ethernet access to IP VPNs; virtual leased line (VLL) or Ethernet Line (E-Line) services; and Internet access services IPv4/IPv6 VPNs, multicast VPNs and more Application Assured IP VPN, Ethernet VPN and Business Internet services that satisfy enterprise demands for application level visibility and control in the network Integrated DDoS traffic scrubbing services to protect enterprise customers from volume and application-based DDoS attacks The ability to flexibly deploy either native Carrier Ethernet or MPLS-based services and functions in any combination required Support for standards-based H-VPLS services and a range of pseudo-wire encapsulation capabilities (PWE3), using the full complement of signaling and discovery protocols Application-aware and service-aware QoS, application identification with stateful analysis, non-stop services, line-rate service performance and multiservice efficiency, which are critical elements for strict SLA-based services and superior Quality of Experience Advanced, highly flexible hierarchical QoS implementation with hardware support for multi-tiered shaping and policing hierarchies Designed as a service delivery platform and featuring a carrier-grade, network-tested Service Router Operating System, the Alcatel-Lucent 7750 SR provides the tools to define and satisfy the most stringent SLAs for high-value, differentiated business services. Key features of the Alcatel-Lucent 7750 SR for the mobile packet core and backhaul The Alcatel-Lucent 7750 SR simplifies today s network challenges by integrating the required mobility services functionality into a single all-ip, service-aware platform. With the addition of a Mobile Gateway Integrated Services Module (MG-ISM), the 7750 SR supports LTE Evolved Packet Core (EPC) gateway applications including Serving Gateway (SGW), Packet Data Network Gateway (PGW) and GPRS Gateway Support Node (GGSN) applications. Delivering superior flexibility, a single Alcatel-Lucent 7750 SR may be deployed as a dedicated SGW or PGW, as a GGSN element or for any combination of these functions. The Alcatel-Lucent 7750 SR also provides high-performance mobile gateway functionality including: Enabling per-user, per-flow, per-application/service QoS performance Providing passive monitoring and reporting as well as active bandwidth and flow policing Performing flow-based QoS re-marking to guarantee the required end-to-end QoS The Evolution of Edge Routing: Today s High-Performance Converged Edge Application Note 5

9 A high-performance mobile gateway capability on a single platform allows the consolidation of the IP mobility anchoring capability for converged HSPA/HSPA+ and LTE environments. This advance can result in significant cost savings for mobile operators who are looking to provide wireless broadband capabilities to 2G/3G and 4G/LTE mobile subscribers. Deploying the Alcatel-Lucent 7750 SR for converged mobile backhaul infrastructures enables the consolidation of multiple generations of radio access networks, supports a diverse range of SLAs and provides operational simplicity. As the foundation of a backbone for mobile traffic, the 7750 SR provides proven carrier-grade high availability with non-stop routing and non-stop services. It also allows service-aware management and traffic engineering for improved operational agility. Supporting service constructs including pseudowires, VPLS and fully routed VPRN capabilities, the Alcatel-Lucent 7750 SR delivers one of the industry s most robust, scalable and flexible mobile backhaul solutions. Used in conjunction with access and aggregation products from the same product family such as the Alcatel-Lucent 7705 Service Aggregation Router (SAR) and the 7210 Service Access Switch (SAS) and sharing the same software base, the 7750 SR has a strong presence in mobile backhaul network solutions across the globe. Key features of the Alcatel-Lucent 7750 SR for the residential services edge Television, voice services and the Internet are undergoing rapid transformation and amalgamation, creating a blend of multi-media applications that adds a new dimension to the user experience. Rich digital media content is permeating all forms of communication, information and entertainment. It is also having a profound impact on underlying broadband infrastructure and business models, with video as the main component. This onslaught of Web 2.0 traffic is challenging legacy IP edge systems, such as BRAS, with unprecedented capacity and Quality of Service requirements. However, it also presents new opportunities for network service providers to take an active role in enabling services, applications and content that run over a converged broadband access network and break the spiral of legacy Internet service commoditization. The Alcatel-Lucent 7750 SR helps network operators address the challenges and opportunities by transforming their legacy broadband IP infrastructures, so they can accommodate sophisticated blends of IPTV, fixed and mobile voice, IP multimedia and managed online services in a scalable, profitable manner. With the 7750 SR, network operators can consolidate their IP services on a converged, multi-service Broadband Network Gateway (BNG) cost-effectively and without disruption and address new requirements such as IPv6 service support. The Alcatel-Lucent 7750 SR provides: Non-disruptive legacy migration and service evolution with full support of DSL Forum TR-059 (BRAS) and TR-101 (BNG) standards and feature requirements (LAC, LTS and LNS) Huge multi-dimensional scalability in subscribers per chassis and ingress and egress services queue density, providing over 15 times higher density than legacy BRAS systems to scale service capacity without expanding equipment footprint Any mode of operation support bridged or routed gateway/co deployment, centralized or distributed edge deployment, wholesale or retail service deployment IPv6 readiness with IP4/6 dual-stack subscriber management and integrated carrier-grade network address translation capabilities Low-cost integration of existing RADIUS-based Authentication, Authorization and Accounting (AAA) infrastructure supporting both IPoE/DHCP-and PPPoX-based subscriber management High availability and dependability with non-stop service support that preserves subscriber and service states during switch-over in case of control processor or node failure Time- and volume-based accounting with local policy for example to support pre-paid services, either through RADIUS or a Diameter-based credit control application 6 The Evolution of Edge Routing: Today s High-Performance Converged Edge Application Note

10 Customer examples The Alcatel-Lucent 7750 SR provides all the power, flexibility and service intelligence required to innovate and thrive in the digital lifestyle era. It combines years of operational experience, industryleading technology and an exceptionally rich feature set, which minimizes deployment risk while maximizing options. By supporting both legacy BRAS and next-generation Broadband Network Gateway requirements, the 7750 SR helps overcome legacy BRAS obsolescence issues. As a result, service providers can compete more effectively and pursue new revenue opportunities in emerging multimedia applications and provide premium digital content delivery to the connected home as a seamless experience. The Alcatel-Lucent 7750 SR plays a pivotal role in delivering residential broadband services and has been deployed in more than 60 provider networks for converged IPTV, VoIP and high-speed Internet service bundles. Alcatel-Lucent has many customers who are offering converged services across at least two market domains using the Alcatel-Lucent 7750 Service Router. The following two examples illustrate the benefits of deploying a converged IP services edge using the 7750 SR. European service provider: New business model Faced with a decline in broadband revenue streams, a large incumbent service provider in Europe engaged Alcatel-Lucent to explore opportunities to reduce operational expenses and increase revenues. The most critical challenge this customer faced was the rising cost of operating multiple service-specific infrastructures, which increased backhaul costs and negatively impacted broadband revenues. The service provider implemented an Alcatel-Lucent Converged IP Edge solution to reduce operational costs and support greater capacity for video-rich content, which enabled new business models and new services. The solution includes the Alcatel-Lucent 7750 Service Router (already installed in the customer s network for Ethernet service aggregation) and the 5620 Service Aware Manager (SAM). With an enhanced focus on its video strategy, the operator is deploying a content delivery network at the converged IP edge. The Alcatel-Lucent architecture distributes subscriber management functionality throughout the network, enabling greater efficiency and improving service delivery. With subscriber management and PPP termination closer to the customer, a common IP edge allows the provider to install video caches where most needed, depending on customer demand and economics. This approach creates a more flexible service architecture. The service provider can implement service edge capabilities through a simple software upgrade on the installed 7750 Service Routers. A converged IP edge helps improve implementation of Quality of Service profiles, provides enhanced subscriber management and delivers content to customers without changing the network. The service provider is also able to upgrade the network without disrupting service to their wholesale, business and residential customers. Additionally, the Alcatel-Lucent- Converged IP Edge solution enables seamless migration to a distributed PPP architecture and evolution to DHCP and will support more IP multicast services, as desired, in the future. Combining Layer 2/Layer 3 and traditional BRAS functions was essential to ensure a non-disruptive consolidation of legacy services and subscribers on a next-generation platform, with sufficient headroom for both existing and emerging service requirements. The service provider believed that Alcatel-Lucent was uniquely qualified to achieve this consolidation, based on experience with the installed Alcatel-Lucent 7750 Service Routers. Key features of the 7750 SR platform were important to the service provider, including its high availability and resiliency. Its ability to provide both IPv4 and IPv6 based services in combination if needed also fit well with the video service offerings the operator planned and provided options for the future when IPv4 addresses reach exhaust. The Evolution of Edge Routing: Today s High-Performance Converged Edge Application Note 7

11 A competitive service provider in North America A large competitive service provider in North America migrated to Alcatel-Lucent s converged IP services edge solution for the implementation of a routed edge and routed CO service delivery model for residential triple play. To evolve to a converged, all-ip infrastructure, the service provider moved IP/MPLS capabilities to the edge of the network. This step allows aggregation of traffic at Layer 2 and Layer 3 from various access technologies, along with termination of consumer, business and wireless mobility services all on a common platform. The Alcatel-Lucent 7750 SR, 5620 SAM and 5750 Subscriber Services Controller have been implemented to converge and extend the service provider s offerings. Initially, multiple Layer 2/Layer 3 edges in the network used different vendors platforms, which resulted in a distributed model of L2/L3 aggregation, with a proliferation of platforms dedicated to consumer and business services, respectively. These parallel infrastructures led to inefficient use of network resources. Limitations emerged as services grew in scale and deployment. For example, limitations in 10 Gb/s Ethernet support led to sub-optimal bandwidth utilization. And there were also logical capacity limitations, as current-generation technology created VLAN, MAC address and QoS scaling limitations in metro and aggregation networks. Because a static service provisioning mechanism was used, service development and customer (service) provisioning operations became more complex. The network edge also lacked dynamic knowledge of the network, which made it difficult to fully exploit bandwidth resources and optimally control associated traffic flows. Finally, multicast replication was sub-optimal, contributing to potential capacity exhaust and higher than necessary use of fiber and ports. Figure 3. A before-and-after look at the architectural evolution to a converged IP edge National IP backbone National IP backbone MR/DR/video core Regional agg Routed C.O. aggregation Other vendor BRAS L3 PE L2 PE ATM/frame Ethernet edge Routed edge (RE) DSL access Metro Ethernet ETTS GPON GPON ETTS DSL Metro Ethernet (DE) With the Alcatel-Lucent 7750 SR as converged IP edge, this customer has positioned itself for growth and consolidated multiple legacy infrastructures on a common, purpose-built, multi-service network foundation. By implementing a next-generation solution for its existing backhaul, residential, Internet access and multi-play services, this service provider has achieved a simpler model of network and systems development, provisioning and operation. 8 The Evolution of Edge Routing: Today s High-Performance Converged Edge Application Note

12 Using the Alcatel-Lucent 7750 SR, the service provider has gained distributed knowledge of the network, which enables better bandwidth allocation by allowing any combination of services to fill the available pipes. They can move away from profile-based QoS provisioning to a more flexible QoS system, based on parameters its customers desire. Services can be developed and provisioned dynamically, with greater ease. This service provider also has a capacity roadmap that ensures significant port, slot and chassis scale over 10 Gigabit, 40 Gigabit and 100 Gigabit Ethernet interfaces. VLAN scaling issues have been eliminated, because the Alcatel-Lucent 7750 SR provides various Layer 2 services that effectively segregate customer networks from the service provider s network. Service provisioning has been greatly simplified through consolidation, with enhanced subscriber management deployed to automate subscriber identification and policy provisioning and eliminate most per-subscriber provisioning actions. As a result, this customer operates a policy-controlled network that can maximize access port capacity usage and establish a more dynamic mechanism between their access and edge networks. This allows the service provider to implement services more dynamically while improving network utilization. Conclusion It is time for service providers to make strategic steps to improve service agility and operational efficiency. Emerging applications are driving greater interactivity across traditionally disparate access domains, and the cost of maintaining dedicated edge infrastructures and service overlays is rising. These trends make a converged IP services edge at the edge of the HLN architecture increasingly compelling. The Alcatel-Lucent 7750 Service Router is a natural platform for the converged IP services edge, because it has a unique breadth of service functionality and scalability. With today s mature IP technologies and robust routing platforms, it is now possible to support convergence strategies by adopting common hardware and software at the network edges. Doing so provides a consistent touch point for QoS and OA&M, leveraging the Alcatel-Lucent 5620 SAM management system across all residential, business and broadband wireless service domains thereby reducing OSS integration time and effort. The consistent instrumentation of edge devices also facilitates faster service launches and enhanced multimedia support, as well as streamlined training, parts management and approval-for-use cycles. Complete feature sets are available for business, residential and mobility solutions, enabling significant capital and operational savings. In addition, greater network intelligence can be delivered which helps support new services and opportunistically drive revenues. As demonstrated by real-world examples and a solid, customizable business case, Alcatel-Lucent can assist service providers with a seamless transition to a converged IP services edge without business or network disruption. The Evolution of Edge Routing: Today s High-Performance Converged Edge Application Note 9

13 Alcatel, Lucent, Alcatel-Lucent and the Alcatel-Lucent logo are trademarks of Alcatel-Lucent. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. The information presented is subject to change without notice. Alcatel-Lucent assumes no responsibility for inaccuracies contained herein. Copyright 2011 Alcatel-Lucent. All rights reserved. CPG (06)