Cincinnati Ethernet fiber is a high capacity Internet service offered to Cincinnati businesses using a fiber optic cable for transit between the carrier network and the end-user. Commonly referred to as “metro” Ethernet, metro refers to the fact that the fiber optic run spans a “metropolitan” area, from one side of the city to another, and “Ethernet” refers to the type of IP handoff involved at each end of the connection. Unlike copper-based services (such as T1s) that are available just about everywhere, Metro-E is limited only to buildings in which fiber has been connected by a commercial Internet Service Provider (ISP).
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ETHERNET OVER COPPER AND METRO ETHERNET?
The main difference between these two delivery methods is the physical connection between the end-user and the carrier backbone. Both technologies employ Ethernet protocol, but the connections are what makes all of the difference.
In the EoC scenario, the carrier transmits the signal from it’s backbone network to a LEC Central Office nearest the end-user. From there the signal rides over the LEC’s copper pairs to the end-user’s building, and from there into the carrier’s router, and into the customer’s LAN switch. In the Metro Ethernet scenario, the packets start in the carrier’s backbone network (or from the data center where the end-user’s private/public cloud is located) and run directly to end-user’s building… directly. Metro-E is a direct as it gets.