Virtual private LAN service (VPLS) is a way to provide Ethernet based multipoint to multipoint communication over IP/MPLS networks. It allows geographically dispersed sites to share an Ethernet broadcast domain by connecting sites through Pseudo-Wires.
VPLS is a switched network, not a routed network. This results in lower latency and dramatically lower jitter, on the order of 250 micro-seconds, as compared to 2 – 10 milli-seconds. VPLS delivers Ethernet to your door, with the entire network carried via Ethernet as a VLAN on the carrier network. This makes it very easy to increase bandwidth and manage your network without the need to submit tickets to the carrier and sometimes wait days or weeks for changes.
While Ethernet can be delivered anywhere by encapsulation on TDM, it is most cost effective when the majority of your network locations are in fiber-lit buildings. This allows the use of Ethernet from door-to-door.
Who can benefit from VPLS? While the qualifications are not exact, in general, companies that:
- Need the very best possible network performance
- Are less price sensitive and have greater budgets
- Need at least 3Mbps bandwidth per location
- Have in-house network expertise for management
The above qualifications usually point to: financial services, call centers, law firms and Fortune 500 companies; users where a few ms less latency and lower jitter will make a noticeable difference. But if your sites are in lit buildings, you might find that VPLS may not cost more than MPLS, if your bandwidth requirements are higher.
If VPLS might be suitable for your network, contact SD-WAN-Experts to discuss your requirements and obtain pricing.
