12/5/2006 -- Don't look now, but Cisco Systems Inc.'s ME 3400 Series Routers are making quite a name for themselves in the carrier Ethernet access and aggregation market segment. That's the conclusion of a recent report from consultancy Current Analysis, which argued that the ME 3400's low cost and large feature set could complicate things for Cisco's competitors in this space.

The ME 3400 targets applications such as Ethernet-to-the-home (ETTH), triple play services and Ethernet-to-the-business (ETTB) VPN services. It also provides security solutions for metro Ethernet access -- including subscriber, switch and network protection. Nor is that all, said Glen Hunt, a principal analyst for carrier infrastructure with Current Analysis.

"The ME 3400 provides the feature flexibility and aggressive price points to address carrier Ethernet access deployments," he said. "As part of Cisco's NGN product portfilio, it is complemented by other products such as the ME 4924 FTTH aggregation platform, which is capable of providing Ethernet-based 100+ Mbps service, and the scalable 7600 Ethernet router, which is deployed at the service provider’s network edge."

The ME 3400 Series routers are available in three different models: the ME 3400-24TS, which provides 24 10/100 access ports and two small form factor pluggable (SFP) uplink ports; the ME 3400G-12CS, which provides up to 1 gigabit of bandwidth to the home or business by providing 12 ports of dual-purpose (10/100/1000 and SFP) ports for access and four ports of SFP for network uplinks; and the ME 3400G-2CS, a business demarcation device that offers two dual-purpose ports for access and two ports of SFP for uplinks.

The ME 3400 series is available with three software feature sets, including Metrobase (for triple play), MetroAccess (which adds layer 2 VPN support) and MetroIPaccess (which adds layer 3 services).

For these and other reasons, Hunt sees the ME 3400 series as mostly a slam dunk, although he acknowledged that there are areas in which Cisco could improve it. "The ME 3400 lacks support for legacy services such as TDM, frame relay and ATM. Service providers that must support legacy services will need to backhaul traffic to the edge of the network, where an edge router can terminate the traffic, such as the Cisco 7600," he conceded. Ditto for the ME 3400's fixed form factor, which "may be limiting to some providers that have more variable capacity requirements." In such cases, Hunt concluded, planning and deliberation are key: "This is a tradeoff between CapEx optimization and the flexibility of a modular system. Service providers need to determine the roadmap for their services and make an informed decision." -- Stephen Swoyer