NGN MARKET REVIEW
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How to choose a NGN
INTERVIEW
Not all next generation networks (NGNs) are built the same, with the same capabilities or the same reach, so it is important for resellers to be aware of the options, says David Dewsbury, Head of Channel at Cable&Wireless Worldwide.
N
ational reach on Layer 2 Ethernet (Ethernet Wire line or Ethernet VPN) and Layer 3 MPLS
VPNs should be at the forefront of a resellers’ mind when choosing a NGN provider, according to Dewsbury. “These give the best overall access options and enable the reseller to build the right connectivity solution for their customers,” he said. “It is also important to use a NGN supplier that has built products specifically for the wholesale market.”
An explosion of communications devices and network services has been driving end customer expectations higher. For users, being connected to their customers and suppliers wherever they are, around the clock, on any device, has become critical. “Value add services and applications are integral for their business success, meaning that resellers need to accommodate their customers’ demand for mission critical communication solutions that will help increase productivity, give a competitive edge and cut costs,” added Dewsbury.
These value add services and applications take many forms, from account management to the resellers’ hosted services in data centres, Software as a Service (SaaS) applications and security services. Cable&Wireless Worldwide offers three SaaS applications to its channel partners: Hosted Exchange, Online Back-up and Web IPCCTV. And according to Dewsbury it is vital for all offerings
to have the ability to be layered on top of the access infrastructure in an easy, cost effective way.
“For resellers, selecting a supplier that can provide national, or international, reach with low cost connectivity to data centres is key,” said Dewsbury. “But just as important, if not more so, is choosing the right solution that can enable multiple customers to use the same access bearer into the data centre. As such, resellers should ensure that they have a 100Mbs or 1Gbs interconnect with the NGN carrier, and the ability to segment that bearer so that multiple customers can access the various value add services supplied in a secure and manageable fashion.”
VLAN and Multi-VPN capabilities (for Layer 2 and Layer 3 respectively) are essential to enable separation of services, observes Dewsbury. “Class of Service (CoS) can then be layered on top to prioritise traffic where it is required, to accommodate services such as VoIP, SAP, Citrix and video,” he said.
“Also, utilising technologies like Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS – Layer 2 Ethernet any-to-any) enables customers to not only have a low-cost Ethernet WAN connected to a supplier’s data centre for value-add services, but also enables customers to spread their existing server estate and services across multiple sites. Due to the any-to-any nature of VPLS, customers can choose to host their servers in the
“It’s imperative that resellers have the choice of product and flexibility of access”
cloud, or at another location, thus achieving cost savings and simplified management.”
As for NGA (Next Generation Access), this involves using fibre to either reduce the copper length in xDSL lines (and increase speed) or to replace it completely with Fibre to the Premise (FTTP). “As an emerging technology with massive potential to offer fast speeds at lower costs, it is important to understand what plans the NGN supplier has to integrate these new connection methods into their NGN,” said Dewsbury. “Having a platform that supports ADSL2+ and SDSL, and the ability to add Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC) and FTTP as and when they become available, is a key differentiator.”
What’s even more critical is the supplier’s ability to seamlessly integrate these new access methods into an existing product set to provide the widest choice of access for the customer. Cable&Wireless Worldwide has a Wholesale, Open Access platform that can deliver xDSL access to its NGN and a B2B interface for bulk automation. Next Generation Access methods will be integrated into this standards-based platform, allowing seamless bulk provisioning
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David Dewsbury
of ADSL2+ and SDSL now, plus FTTC and FTTP in the future.
Dewsbury commented: “It’s imperative that resellers have the choice of product and flexibility of access to be able to service their customers well. Customers are always looking for cost savings, and the ability to have a wide range of connection methods, or to be able to re-use a circuit for multiple services will give the reseller the edge they need. Resellers can use these Multi-Service Access Bearers to provide all sorts of different services from a data centre, each securely separated, and with different ‘Classes of Services’ characteristics.”
Resellers can choose to take value add services at wholesale from their provider, or deliver themselves at higher margin and more control. “The NGN services and connections need to provide the right cost base and level of service, but also have the flexibility to change and flex in the future to cope with the changing demands,” added Dewsbury. “This will enable resellers to expand and differentiate in the future according to the needs of their business and the value add services provided.”
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