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On June 6, Juniper Networks announced a series of enhancements for its family of E-series routing platforms. The new E320 Broadband Services Router, which is positioned as the industry's highest capacity broadband router, enables service providers to evolve beyond simple Internet access to high-bandwidth and quality infranet services. These converged voice, data, and multimedia, or “triple play,” services require a next-generation platform that can service subscribers in large quantities with assured levels of quality, security, and high-availability. Also announced were new features for the ERX routing platform.

Current Analysis is taking a positive stance on Juniper’s launch of the E320 platform, which is aimed primarily at the BRAS/broadband aggregation market segment. The new E320 platform allows Juniper to address more directly the scaling and aggregation challenges faced by carriers addressing emerging triple play and home networking applications, especially in the area of IPTV/video multicasting. The E320 is purpose-built to extend subscriber authentication, bandwidth guarantees for video applications, quality of service (QoS) assurances for real-time video and VoIP applications, and high availability for critical services such as emergency 911 calls to carriers, all on one common platform. Furthermore, the E320 platform enables Juniper to assert significant product differentiation against the rival Cisco 10008 and Redback SmartEdge (SE) 800 service gateway platforms in areas such as bandwidth/backplane capacity and packet performance. For instance, Juniper asserts 100-320 Gbps capacity for the E320, in comparison to 51.2 Gbps capacity for the Cisco 10008 and 60-120 Gbps for the Redback SE 800 (although Redback has unveiled plans for higher capacity capabilities in the near future). In addition, Juniper asserts 80-180 Mpps packet performance for the E320, again comparing favorably to 10 Mpps packet performance for the Cisco 10008 and 70 Mpps performance for the Redback SE 800. Additional E320 benefits include extensive redundancy capabilities, such as integral redundancy for the mid-plane and independent switch fabric and route processor redundancy.

On the concern side, while the E320 platform leverages existing Juniper portfolio assets, such as the JUNOSe operating system, ESP application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and common line module mid-plane designs, individual line cards between the new E320 platform and existing E-series products such as the ERX-1440 are not interchangeable, which somewhat reduces Juniper’s E-series commonality theme. This is evidenced by the new eight-port Gigabit Ethernet card for the ERX-1440 not having application to the new E320. Other concerns for Juniper include Cisco’s continuing ability to retain market share leadership within the broadband aggregation realm, Redback’s new software and hardware enhancements to the SE 800 platform (thereby reducing Juniper product differentiation efforts), and ECI’s acquisition of Laurel Networks, which promises to make Laurel technology more competitive in the long-term.