Windstream Gets MEF Carrier Ethernet 2.0 Certification

PRESS RELEASE — Windstream (NASDAQ: WIN) is pleased to announce that it has achieved MEF CE 2.0 certification for its Carrier E-Access services.
 
“This certification is a great accomplishment for Windstream and validates that the design, quality and performance of our Carrier Ethernet services conform to the highest and most current industry standards,” stated Art Nichols, Vice President of Windstream’s Network Architecture. “The CE 2.0 certification along with Windstream’s reliable data network infrastructure provides our customers with a very competitive Ethernet solution within the U.S. marketplace.”
 
By achieving the MEF CE 2.0 certification, Windstream’s customers have the confidence that E-Access services have been stringently tested and are compliant with the latest MEF specifications. Windstream meets or exceeds all requirements that customers have for MEF CE 2.0 service levels, class of service requirements, as well as improved interoperability with customer networks.
 
“Windstream’s MEF CE 2.0 certification positions us as a trusted partner for our carrier, content, and wholesale customers,” said Jeff Brown, Director of Product Management and Marketing for Windstream Carrier Solutions.  “We are excited that in 2016 our customers will be able to grow their businesses via our expansive Ethernet service area.”{ad}
 
An enhancement to MEF CE 1.0, the first generation of service standards to which Windstream already conformed, MEF CE 2.0 focuses heavily on interoperability and interconnection. All testing is performed by an independent third-party company, Iometrix. The certification provides valuable assistance to end users by speeding up the selection process of new services and reducing procurement risk. Its development was driven by the rapidly growing and evolving Carrier Ethernet market, in which multi-vendor networks and services are becoming the norm.
 
“The MEF congratulates Windstream for its outstanding achievement of meeting the demanding performance requirements of CE 2.0 certification for its E-Access services. This demonstrates the company’s commitment to excellence and innovation in developing and delivering Ethernet services across its networks,” stated Nan Chen, President of the MEF.
 
The MEF, the global industry body for Carrier Ethernet, aims to accelerate the worldwide adoption of Carrier-class Ethernet networks and services by defining industry standards and setting a baseline that carriers, service providers and other enterprises can trust.
 
About Windstream
Windstream Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: WIN), a Fortune 500 company, is a leading provider of advanced network communications and technology solutions for consumers, small businesses, enterprise organizations and carrier partners across the U.S. Windstream offers bundled services, including broadband, security solutions, voice and digital TV to consumers. We also provide data, cloud solutions, unified communications and managed services to business and enterprise clients. The company supplies core transport solutions on a local and long-haul fiber-optic network spanning approximately 121,000 miles. Additional information is available at windstream.com ^[8]. Please visit our newsroom at news.windstream.com ^[9] or follow us on Twitter at @WindstreamNews ^[10].
 
About the MEF
The MEF is the driving force behind the ~$80 billion global market for Carrier Ethernet services and technologies and the defining body for LSO (Lifecycle Service Orchestration) standards that underpin emerging Third Network services with CE 2.0, SDN, and NFV. An industry alliance consisting of nearly 220 member organizations based in 43 countries, the MEF operates through a powerful collaborative framework of service providers, network solutions suppliers, and other stakeholders to achieve CE 2.0 and LSO development and globalization objectives.
 
MEF’s flagship work is CE 2.0, including specifications, operational frameworks, and certification programs for services, equipment, and professionals. Visit www.mef.net ^[11] for more details on these programs. 
 
Building on fourteen years of success with Carrier Ethernet, the MEF is now focused on development of LSO with APIs to enable paradigm-shifting agile, assured, and orchestrated services over more efficient, automated networks. The MEF’s vision for the transformation of network connectivity services and the networks used to deliver them is referred to as the “Third Network,” which combines the on-demand agility and ubiquity of the Internet with the performance and security assurances of CE 2.0. For information on the Third Network and LSO download the MEF’s Third Network Vision & Strategy White Paper ^[12] and Third Network Lifecycle Service Orchestration (LSO) Vision White Paper ^[13].