Whatever Birck's visions are or are not (I happen to agree with your assessment of his philo leanings, but I think he's going to be saved despite those leanings), there is going to be a need, hence much merit behind, their product line for some time to come.
True, bandwidth is becoming very abundant in the core, but from the edge of the network out to the access platforms and to the end users there is still a great dependency on SONET and what is commonly referred to as circuit-switched bandwidth, although there needn't be much dynamic switching involved in this regard to deliver IP services.
For every T1, T3, OC3 or OC48 that exists in the WAN or on the 'net, there must be a corresponding "port" in the edge and access layers (where many digital cross connects reside) to get that bandwidth to users. Digital Cross Connects and Sonet Boxes still account for how this is done with no appreciable let up in sight, in the absence of ubiquitous dark fiber to enterprises.
As I've said in the past, "It's the ports, stupid, not the bandwidth."
Best Regards, Frank Coluccio |
