Users still ignorant about MPLS networks

Wide-area networks connecting organisations' sites using a technology called MPLS - short for Multi-Protocol Label Switching - aren't as popular as recent headlines would have us believe.

That's the main finding of research out this week by ISP izR Solutions, which spoke to 1,000 SMEs with over 250 staff and multiple sites. Only 49.5 per cent said they have heard of MPLS, which is generally a way of speeding up and making more efficient virtual private networks (VPNs) based on Internet Protocol (IP).

Already around a quarter of respondents use MPLS but 42 per cent said they won't need it in the future, and 8.5 per cent said they don't use it when in fact they do - highlighting the confusion in some IT and telecoms departments.

IP VPNs that use MPLS are now common offerings from many network operators such as AT&T, BT/Infonet, Equant, NTT and Sprint. They generally mean assured quality of service for user organisations.