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Carrier Ethernet continues to serve as a foundational connectivity service for enterprise and wholesale networking worldwide. As networking models evolve to support increased automation, on-demand services, and emerging AI-driven use cases, Mplify is evolving how Carrier Ethernet certification is structured and maintained to reflect how these services are delivered and consumed today.
Mplify is evolving its Carrier Ethernet Certification Program to include two certifications for service providers and technology providers: Carrier Ethernet for Business Certification, which is the evolution of MEF 3.0 Carrier Ethernet certification, and Carrier Ethernet for AI Certification, targeted for availability in Q2 2026, which will validate the service behavior and stringent performance requirements to support AI and agentic AI workloads. Each certification addresses specific use cases.
Together, these certifications preserve the global recognition established under MEF 3.0 while aligning Carrier Ethernet certification more closely with current and future market needs.
An Evolution of MEF 3.0
Carrier Ethernet for Business certification represents a direct evolution of MEF 3.0 Carrier Ethernet certification. Existing certifications remain fully valid and recognized, with no changes to technical requirements, standards, or test cases.
What is changing is how certification is governed and maintained. Updated branding aligns the certification more clearly with enterprise and wholesale services, while a new public Mplify Carrier Ethernet Certification Registry improves visibility and transparency. Mplify is also introducing a formal certification maintenance program, with optional retesting available to refresh certification records.
The technical requirements that underpin Carrier Ethernet certification remains unchanged. All testing continues to be managed by Iometrix, Mplify’s accredited test partner.
Carrier Ethernet for Business Certification
Carrier Ethernet for Business certifies a full range of standardized point-to-point and multipoint Carrier Ethernet services, including E-Line, Access E-Line, Transit E-Line, E-LAN, and E-Tree, used across enterprise and inter-provider environments. The certification provides independent verification that services conform to standardized performance objectives and service attributes, supporting predictable behavior across provider domains.
Organizations with existing MEF 3.0 Carrier Ethernet certifications transition directly to Carrier Ethernet for Business with no disruption to recognition. The program is available to Mplify members with current certifications, members new to Carrier Ethernet certification, and those that previously held MEF 2.0 certifications.
Certified services support a broad range of enterprise and wholesale connectivity use cases, including enterprise site-to-site connectivity, business access and aggregation services, cloud access and data center interconnection, and mission-critical business applications.
Introducing Carrier Ethernet for AI Certification
In parallel, Mplify is introducing Carrier Ethernet for AI certification, targeted for availability in Q2 2026. This certification addresses emerging AI-related networking use cases that depend on consistent, standardized connectivity across distributed environments. It focuses on point-to-point services, such as E-Line, Access E-Line and Transit E-Line, supporting high-performance, high bandwidth predictable transport.
Carrier Ethernet for AI certification builds on Carrier Ethernet as a foundational transport layer and complements Carrier Ethernet for Business certification. Organizations can align certification with their AI, edge, and Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) strategies. Carrier Ethernet for AI certification addresses the connectivity use cases required to support AI workloads across edge, data center, and distributed environments. This includes standardized Carrier Ethernet services that connect subscriber premises running AI applications to AI Edge sites, interconnect AI Edge sites with AI Data Centers, and enable high-performance Data Center–to–Data Center connectivity and data movement at scale.
Certification Lifecycle and Maintenance
Mplify’s evolved Carrier Ethernet Certification Program introduces a new certification maintenance program designed to keep certifications current, credible, and relevant over time. Organizations pay once per certification, with a predictable annual maintenance fee required to keep certifications active. The maintenance program also provides the option to retest and refresh certification test records, reinforcing market credibility and competitive positioning as service expectations evolve. All certified services are listed in the Mplify Carrier Ethernet Certification Registry, a public resource that increases transparency for enterprises, partners, and ecosystem stakeholders.
Why Certification Matters for Providers and Buyers
Carrier Ethernet certification provides a consistent foundation of confidence across increasingly complex networking environments. For service providers and technology providers, certification offers independent validation that services conform to standardized definitions and performance expectations, helping reduce ambiguity across inter-provider and multi-domain deployments.
For enterprise buyers, certification provides assurance that Carrier Ethernet services behave predictably, support interoperability across providers, and align with standardized service attributes. This reduces risk as networks scale, services become more automated, and connectivity is consumed across multiple environments.
As networks evolve toward on-demand and NaaS models, maintaining certification helps ensure that standardized behavior is preserved over time—not just at initial deployment.
Next Steps
As networking environments continue to evolve, certification plays an essential role in maintaining clarity, trust, and consistency across enterprise and wholesale services. By evolving Carrier Ethernet certification, Mplify is ensuring that certification remains aligned with how networks are built, delivered, and consumed while preserving the rigor established under MEF 3.0. Carrier Ethernet for Business certification and Carrier Ethernet for AI certification together support continuity today and readiness for future networking requirements.
Eligible organizations are encouraged to enroll in Carrier Ethernet for Business certification to ensure uninterrupted recognition under the updated framework. Additional details on Carrier Ethernet for AI will be shared as the program approaches availability.
Learn More
- Product Brief: Mplify Carrier Ethernet for Business Certification
- Product Brief: Mplify Carrier Ethernet for AI Certification
- FAQ: Mplify Carrier Ethernet Certification FAQ
- Video: Program Overview – Mplify Carrier Ethernet Certification
- Video: Certification for MEF 3.0 Certified Member Companies
- Video: Certification for Non-Certified Member Companies
Isabelle Morency
Director of Product Management | Mplify