IP-Only Revitalizes Nordic Network

BlackDiamond 12K's MAC-in-MAC Scaling Capability Found Critical for Delivery of Triple Play Services for the Nordic Market

Extreme Networks, Inc. today announced that Swedish telecom operator and ISP, IP-Only has standardized on Extreme Networks BlackDiamond® 12K Carrier Ethernet switch in its newly rebuilt, all-Ethernet network. IP-Only boldly phased out all SDH and Layer 3 equipment in favor of Ethernet switches that are connected directly over wavelengths, yielding a more reliable and economical Ethernet service network spanning several countries.

IP-Only, an independent Swedish carrier focusing on companies that have high demands for bandwidth, accessibility and reliability, is one of only four facilities-based operators in Sweden. IP-Only considers itself an efficient operator with a philosophy to consistently deliver clean, simple, yet very powerful services and focus only on their core strength -- a massive infrastructure and backbone that acts as a traffic exchange with content providers, nationally and internationally.

"Our philosophy is to offer our customers higher bandwidth and reliability for their money than our competitors do," said Mikael Philipsson, CTO of IP-Only. "Using our Ethernet service, our customers can connect their branches and offices at significantly lower cost and higher bandwidth than they would be able to using the SDH-based solutions offered by other operators. The BlackDiamond 12K from Extreme Networks is critical to this solution."

IP-Only's network is systematically built in several different tiers - one tier for backbone traffic flows and a different tier for local access. By using Extreme Networks MAC-in-MAC capability to support traffic exchange with other operators, IP-Only's network structure provides increased scalability, excellent control over traffic flows and a Quality of Service (QoS) capability that enables strict service level agreements.

"IP-Only is a perfect example of a progressive carrier that is considering the future bandwidth and service needs of their customers while keeping an eye on the bottom line," said Peter Lunk, director of service provider marketing for Extreme Networks. "We are seeing many customers come to the realization that there are some substantial disadvantages to building a Layer 3 backbone. It's expensive, complicated and takes highly skilled people to operate. IP-Only has built a model Ethernet service delivery network and can now reap the benefits of its simple and elegant design" - Extreme Networks.