At BT we're striving for our high-speed, fully secure IP VPN platform, to set the standard for others to follow. OUr Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) over a Cisco Powered network has the following main advantanges:

• High-performance packet switching along pre-determined paths.
• Independance of the underlying OSI layer 2 connectivity.
• Highly scalability allowing rapid network expansion.
• Segregation of customer VPN traffic from others by the use of unique Route Distinguishers.
• The ability for customers can retain their existing IP address scheme

BT's MPLS  technology combines with DiffServ and Traffic engineering techniques, to provide Quality of Service, through the use of Priority Queuing Class Base Weighted Fair Queuing, Committed Access Rate, WRED, Frame and ATM traffic shaping. This combination of MPLS and Traffic Engineering enables BT MPLS to differentiate between time critical, high priority traffic and delay tolerant, low priority traffic. Customers can classify and prioritize their applications into different Classes of Service, matching network performance with business need. MPLS offers a similar level of in-built security, as existing frame relay and ATM networks.

6 Class of Service (CoS) model
BT has launched a 6 Class of Service (CoS) model product for its global MPLS platform.  This will differentiate BT MPLS in the global market to have a world leading Class of Service proposition against the global competition and will address this growing trend in the growth of multiple applications used by customers including:-

• Increasing use of (multiple) ERP applications to support critical business processes
• Increasing use of, and interest in, IP Telephony and streaming video applications with LANs becoming more sophisticated
• Quality of Service (QoS) mechanisms being introduced in customer networks with Differential Services (‘DiffServ’) becoming the de facto standard for CoS implementations

The new Class of Service Model will give BT’s MPLS customers the ability to enjoy a greater granularity in bandwidth prioritisation and partitioning.  Customers may choose to prioritise mission critical applications such as Siebel, SAP, Oracle, Lotus Notes etc into distinct prioritisation data classes enabling multiple applications to run simultaneously.  In addition customers will also be able to run multimedia applications as well as IP Voice, enabling them to gain a high level of convergence on a global platform. 

The 6 CoS model will give a high degree of flexibility and scalability where customers can simply burst between classes without the need for complicated configurations.  Changes to the customer’s network will be kept to a minimum to support the new CoS model with end to end transparency allowing configurations to occur easily and swiftly across a number of sites for a single customer.

The Offer
The new CoS model will use Diff Serv Code Point.  BT will develop the MPLS QoS model with customers and their application providers. 
The 6 QoS model is outlined below:

1. Voice - (e.g. VoIP and PSTN breakout)
2. Assured Data – ERP applications or Real-time Multimedia - (e.g. Video conference and other interactive service)
3. Assured Data  - ERP applications
4. Assured Data  - ERP applications
5. Assured Data  - ERP applications
6. Standard – Email, Intranet, FTP and Internet Breakout Telnet and other network management

Technical Addendum
Click here for the Technical Addendum to the BT MPLS (6CoS) Short Form Service Agreement, applicable to contracts signed in the US only (PDF - 56 KB).