MPLS and Next-Generation Networks: Foundations for NGN and Enterprise Virtualization

This chapter highlights all the available technologies for creating the services described in the previous chapters. It provides pros and cons for each option and builds a case for multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) as a baseline technology for service creation. It also discusses the MPLS technology details. From a service provider perspective, it is pivotal that MPLS as a technology has been adopted by service providers as a key architectural component for next-generation networks (NGNs) because it is an enabler for services based on IP. For enterprise organizations, the virtualization capabilities inherent in MPLS facilitate LAN/WAN segmentation rather than the implementation of static circuits and mechanisms that can be costly in the end.