Are people still building SONET networks from scratch?

Sun Sep 9 15:20:40 UTC 2012

Will Orton <will at loopfree.net> writes:

> I've considered using J's PE-4CHOC3-CE-SFP (OC3 emulated SAToP), then I 
> could do it all with gig-e underneath. Does anyone make a cheaper OC3 
> circuit emulation module or box? Most likely the customer wouldn't believe 
> such a thing is possible and we'd have to put something in the contract 
> allowing them SLA credit if their OC3 suffers too many timing slips or 
> something.

And so you find yourself at the intersection of two timeless maxims:

1) The customer is always right, but not everyone needs to be our customer.

2) Don't say no to the customer, let the customer say no thanks.

Time to model the cost/benefit/profit margin of having these folks as
a customer at all (I'd imagine that this circuit is not the only thing
that they buy from you or you'd be running away even today).  What are
your engineering costs for this trick?  Are you passing that on to the
customer?

You may find it advantageous to do a pricing model where you do
circuit emulation on a hope-for-the-best basis and count on a maximum
SLA payout every month (and still make money).  Then if you fail to
pay SLA credits from time to time, that's pure gravy.

-r