This service links an Ethernet port to a customer’s Ethernet transport line, similar to the function of such standard, non-multiplexed Ethernet services. But where Multiplex Ethernet differs is that this Ethernet port supports multiple Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANS) linked to the data transport. Each VLAN is connected to a Private Virtual Circuit (PVC) that must then be connected through PenTeleData’s 10 Gbps MPLS network, another Multiplex Ethernet port, PenTeleData Internet bandwidth or a standard Ethernet port.
Multiplex, by popular definition, describes an object with various features or forms. In this sense, multiplex is defined as the communication of two or more signals over a common data channel. PenTeleData’s Multiplex Ethernet service offers customers the ability to maintain multiple dedicated, high-speed data connections based on only one physical Ethernet connection, saving the need to spend extra money on costly high-speed line charges. Commercial or organizational customers benefit most from Multiplex Ethernet by employing virtual lines that link to their multiple physical locations.
PenTeleData’s Multiplex Ethernet port technology utilizes 802.1q tagged VLANs to separate unique connections, and then maps each VLAN into a Virtual Circuit (VC) at our Ethernet switch. In this scenario, the customer must have equipment capable of breaking out the 802.1q tagged VLANs in order to connect to the transport linked to the Multiplex port. However, some endpoints do not necessarily need to support 802.1q, since there remain a few routers that can not yet support 802.1q.