Requirement analysis of international wholesale telecommunications for Carrier Ethernet services

Sammanfattning: The development of Internet applications, as well as new technologies to provide Internet access to users, has caused a massive increase in the amount of data traffic in networks and the need of cost-efficient solutions for various networks. This motivated the development of such technologies as Internet Protocol (IP) and Ethernet. Ethernet originally aimed to serve the needs of Local Area Networks. The deployment of Ethernet in metropolitan area networks worldwide (also known as Carrier Ethernet) has made it both a competitive and preferable technology in comparison to technologies such as SONET/SDH and wavelength division multiplexing (WDM). This thesis research investigates the requirement of various stakeholders to Carrier Ethernet technology. The following stakeholders were identified during the research: customers, standardization bodies, vendors, and providers. Each stakeholder was closely investigated and its needs, requirements and interconnection with other target groups were analysed and gathered into one communication map called Carrier Ethernet eco-system. Moreover this thesis identifies more specific recommendations to each stakeholder that could improve the development of Carrier Ethernet technology in general and ensure the satisfaction of the customer and leave more space for future innovation.