As carriers move to OTN and other technologies that work seamlessly over wired and wireless networks, they are also making plans and designing core, backbone net- works capable of carrying data and voice from customers on both wired and wireless networks. This type of convergence offers the possibility of saving money on staffing, equipment costs, and operational costs. One group of staff members will be able to monitor and manage a single core network. Carriers that merge their wireless and wireline core traffic into a single network do need to train technicians on monitoring and maintaining new software and equipment. Carrier Networks Automation via Control Plane Technology Control plane technology is an ITU-Telecommunications (ITU-T) standard that speci- fies software control for monitoring networks and provisioning new network installa- tions for enterprise and residential customers as well as new equipment on an operator's network. It is compliant with, and works in conjunction with OTN gear. Control plane technology has the potential to decrease a carrier's operational expenses by simplify- ing network operations, maintenance, and installation. Like OTN, it can be used for IP as well as older Time-Division Multiplexing (TDM) traffic. Examples of control plane technology functions include the following: Redirecting traffic during peaks. Opening bandwidth when it is needed during an event such as a presidential inauguration. For example, carriers commonly rate-limit traffic by running a 1Gbps pipe at 100Mbps. When required, the bandwidth can be easily increased to 1Gbps. Reconfiguring an optical multiplexer on the fly, automatically, or manually, via remotely entered computer commands. Selling web portal access to IT managers SO that they can add more band- width for a special event without waiting for the carrier to provision more service. Decreasing delays and increasing revenue from new services more quickly by speeding up installations such as cable modems and high-speed network access for commercial cust