The MEF (Metro Ethernet Forum) has announced that it is providing an industry update on its Carrier Ethernet 2.0 Services, CE 2.0 Network Equipment, and MEF Professional Certification programs, all of which have become increasingly popular worldwide over the past year.
Just 12 months after the announcement of the first CE 2.0 Certified Service Provider, there are now 21 CE 2.0 Providers with 87 CE 2.0 Services in 10 countries. CE 2.0 certifications for service providers grew at double the rate of CE 1.0 certifications in an equivalent period of time, and the number of services certified in 4Q 2013 equalled the total for all the services certified in the first three quarters of 2013.
“We have a healthy pipeline of service providers moving through the CE 2.0 certification process.” said Kevin Vachon, COO of MEF. “We are particularly excited about growing interest in CE 2.0 E-Access Certification, which enables retail CE 2.0 service provides to extend their coverage via partnerships with wholesale providers in a more efficient, cost-effective manner.”
“When judging the 2013 MEF Carrier Ethernet awards for service providers, it was clear that numerous finalists and winners regarded CE 2.0 certification, planned certification, or compliance as an important competitive differentiator,” said Rosemary Cochran, principal at Vertical Systems Group. “Looking at the U.S. market in particular, our firm’s 2013 Carrier Ethernet LEADERBOARD analysis revealed that the top-ranked company in the incumbent, competitor, and MSO Ethernet provider segments already has gained CE 2.0 certification. Additionally, the fastest growing company on the U.S. LEADERBOARD, was the first to be CE 2.0 certified.”
Today, there are 31 CE 2.0 Certified Network Equipment Vendors with more than 120 CE 2.0 platforms. The widespread availability and increasing deployment of CE 2.0 network platforms is a critical enabler of CE 2.0 Services Certification growth.
Over the past year, the number of MEF Certified Professionals has tripled to more than 1,700 in 224 organizations in 58 countries. 87% of MEF Certified Professionals are employed by MEF member companies, and 62% are employed by service providers.
