PPP over SONET

Mon May 20 18:54:34 UTC 1996

> I've been doing a lot reading the last few days on the advantages of "PPP over 
> SONET/SDH" vs "IP over ATM AAL5".  The available information bandwidth of 
> roughly 150 Mbps out of 155.5 Mbps with STS-3c/STM-1 makes the PPP over SONET 
> solution very attractive. 

Speaking SDH, it's VC4, so payload is 139.264Mbit (STS-3c SPE)

> I understand that SONET facilities are widely 
> deployed throughout the carriers' broadband infrastructures but when will it 
> become practical to run packet data over these facilities?  I am aware that 
> Cisco is planning to provide an OC-3/STM-1 interface in the 3d quarter but what 
> about other hardware vendors?  

> When will carriers be ready to support this service?

It's possible today, it's a matter of tariff, any SDH/Sonet network is
capable of doing this.

>  Are multiplexers available or planned for the near future?  

You can't do subrates, the rest is standard tranmission gear avaliable
from a variety of vendors.

> Are there carrier-to-carrier issues that need to be worked out?

It depends if you are buying this as a circiut within a network or as
two half circiuts. If you are obtainging two half-circiuts the two
corresponding carriers have to work out the maintenence procedures.

--Peter

Ps: ATM, what's that?