What are the benefits of MPLS vs. Frame relay?

Your company's growing and you've been put in charge of finding a solution that is comparable in pricing with the frame relay but offers more bandwidth. What do you do?

You've noticed that your current network is slow and inflexible. You do research and find that MPLS is a newer technology that may fit your needs. However, those initials are foreign to you and you need to know a lot more before recommending to your company.

You've come to the right place as you'll be able to learn some useful benefits of MPLS vs. frame relay.

Benefits of MPLS:

* Multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) was invented to solve the problem of bridging multiple disparate protocols such as Frame Relay, ATM and Ethernet.
* Over the last few years, MPLS has become the dominant internetworking technology. More and more providers are migrating to MPLS.
* Carriers have deployed IP/MPLS core routers in order to support existing legacy networks more cost effectively.
* Fundamentally, MPLS employs an encapsulation technique providing internetworking between different technologies, coupled with signaling protocols necessary to discover, configure and manage connectivity.
* In addition to signaling protocols, MPLS uses resiliency protocols, such as Fast Re-route and Bi-directional Fault Detection, to determine failures and in turn switching to standby links.
* The strength of these protocols combined with the popularity of MPLS core networks have made MPLS a logical choice for extending into metro networks.
* Vendors have responded by creating MPLS-enabled multi-service platforms with a mixture of legacy port options.

MPLS combines the multi-service and traffic management capabilities of ATM with the scalability of packet networks to create a best-of-breed service provider network.

Main reasons to deploy MPLS include:

* Cost reduction through data network convergence: MPLS facilitates the convergence of disparate Frame Relay, ATM, Ethernet and IP networks onto a single infrastructure to reduce capital and operational expenses. The cost savings can be up to 40% from frame relay.
* Integration of voice, video and data services: MPLS's traffic management capabilities enable this services "triple play" on a common backbone.
* New high-margin revenue opportunities through MPLS-based service offerings: MPLS's flexibility, high availability and multi-service support enables service providers to offer strict SLAs, increasing revenue and margins.

MPLS can lower operational costs by integrating multiple services onto a common backbone; has integrated capabilities which enable service providers to offer strict SLAs and thereby increase revenue and margins; and facilitates the convergence of disparate Frame Relay, ATM, Ethernet and IP networks onto a single infrastructure to reduce capital and operating expenses.

Find out from Shopforbandwidth.com which providers offer this service and if it is available in all of your locations. They specialize in finding the right bandwidth solutions to fit any business application requirement as they work with over 20 providers. They'll do all the research Free for your company including negotiating the best rates from available vendors in your area. Once you decide on the best solution, they'll help you throughout the provisioning process and with customer service should you have any issue with the provider making your job easier.

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