Cable operators are jumping on the carrier Ethernet bandwagon, with Arris Networks becoming the 100th company to join the Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) earlier this month.

UK cable operators Colt and NTL:Telewest are already members of the MEF, and hope to use the technology to attract enterprise customers looking for more scalable wide area network (WAN) links.

“Having done a good job of attacking the residential market, cable operators now want to service businesses better. Ethernet enables them to offer existing customers much higher data rates as well as QoS [quality of service] guarantees that were not viable with Docsis technology before,” said Louise Wasilewski, vice-president of business development at carrier Ethernet equipment supplier Narad Networks.

Cable operators hope that membership of the MEF will help them to persuade enterprises that they are equal to the task of delivering reliable, interoperable Ethernet services over their infrastructure.

They may also use Ethernet over coaxial fibre technology to serve customers that rival telecoms providers cannot reach, fostering wider market competition and potentially lowering the price of existing 10Mbit/s or 100Mbit/s links.