The Core communication network subdivision interconnects all Metro subdivisions using very high bandwidth transmission media. Application devices in the core have to be very fast to maintain throughput. Hence, the functions they perform are kept as simple as possible to reduce latency.
In the future, the Core subdivision will see more application devices capable of handling voice and Reliable Best Effort data being deployed. The functions of packet classification and application services support will be performed in the Metro. The transition to forward packets will result in a single Core using a single protocol.
