MEF Celebrates Australian Debut New member - Uecomm paves way for Carrier Ethernet drive
13 August 2007
– The Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) today announced its first Australian member and launched
a new initiative to define and market Carrier Ethernet technologies and services
in Australia. Uecomm, a telecommunications data specialist, is the first Australian
carrier to join the MEF, confirming its commitment to the delivery of high-speed
business broadband in Australia.
Announcing the membership today, MEF president Nan Chen said, "Uecomm’s membership
is a valuable addition to the 125 plus organisations around the globe already part
of the MEF.
"Carrier Ethernet services are seeing explosive growth across Asia, Europe and North
America with analysts predicting world-wide compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of
37%.
"Uecomm was an early adopter of Carrier Ethernet and is committed to the promotion
of global MEF specifications for Carrier Ethernet services to the Australian market.
They will be ideal partners for us to launch in Australia", added Mr. Chen.
Dean
Tognella, Uecomm’s CEO said the MEF membership was an exciting step in Uecomm’s
development and it aligns closely with the company’s aggressive growth strategy.
"As the first carrier to provide Ethernet WAN services to business customers in
Australia, Uecomm has led the way in the development of the Carrier Ethernet market.
Being part of the MEF industry alliance demonstrates our commitment to taking a
leading role in educating Australian businesses and the broader market on the business
benefits of Ethernet.
"By joining forces with the MEF, we’re taking the next step
in raising awareness of the benefits of Ethernet services such as scalability, simplicity
and transparency," said Mr Tognella.
Shara Evans, CEO at analyst firm Market Clarity
sees the establishment of a founding MEF member in Australia as a positive step
forward for the local industry.
"With the emphasis on the deployment of high speed
broadband as vital to Australia’s economic prosperity, the Ethernet services market
in Australia is set to grow to over $300m, representing CAGR of 17.9% to 2011. If
we include Ethernet connections sold as part of an MPLS service, this figure could
easily double.
"Having followed the MEF’s standards work for many years now, I’ve
seen first hand how the MEF’s work has transformed Ethernet from a LAN technology
to a robust, carrier grade service architecture complete with QoS, resiliency, and
other features required for enterprise networks. The Forum’s active membership base
representing carriers, service provider, vendors and industry stakeholder groups
ensures the MEF’s relevance and importance on a global scale," said Ms Evans.
