July 2005

Richard McCallum, Development Director at THUS, discusses the benefits and developments in MPLS IP VPN

There is a technological revolution taking place in the workplace. Data pouring into our working lives everyday is relentless and while businesses are dependent on email, the Internet and other electronic communications tools they still need to talk. The challenges some enterprises face is knowing how to use both voice and data communications effectively. The solution is to converge; the bringing together of voice and data services to run over a single network.

For enterprises, convergence means a reduction in operating costs because only one network is needed. Also, an integrated network offers more flexibility so as a business grows so too can its communications infrastructure.

As one of the first UK telecoms operators to introduce a next generation network, THUS is providing enterprises in the UK with state-of-the-art Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) based IP VPN services. THUS has been delivering innovative and ground breaking converged solutions to companies throughout the UK over the last few years, enabling a flexible, cost-effective, high-bandwidth IP platform for wide area voice and data communication over a single network. THUS’s MPLS solution simplifies the management of network traffic and offers its customers business grade Quality of Service (QoS) depending on the profile of the network traffic. With MPLS, businesses can satisfy their connectivity and usage needs through several converged IP-based data, voice and video services.

The solution provides a single powerful network in which businesses with multiple site locations, spread over a wide geographic area and with high performance networks, can run demanding applications such as IP telephony as well as everyday e-business applications like email and file transfer. At the same time, MPLS is inherently secure and does not require firewall protection or encryption.

One such company already seeing the benefits of THUS’s offering is GWR, one of the UK’s leading radio broadcasters. GWR broke new ground when it deployed THUS’s MPLS and became the first radio broadcaster to multi-cast real-time audio as well as voice and data over a single network. GWR wanted to achieve three things: firstly, it wanted a new data network to replace its Frame Relay network, secondly it wanted that network to replace its anachronistic satellite network and to be able to deliver broadcaster-quality and reliability and thirdly it wanted voice over IP. Today, GWR can rightly claim to be using one of the most technologically advanced networks in the world, servicing all three requirements.

The same can be said for Johnston Press, one of the UK’s leading regional
newspaper and Internet publishers. Johnston Press relies heavily on the constant transfer of data across its 240 strong newspaper empire and therefore network downtime has an immediate and serious impact on business performance because newspapers cannot be printed if the
network fails.

THUS provides Johnston Press with network connections of various types to sites around the UK, 113 of which utilise private access DSL (PaDSL). As a low cost access technology for the business WAN/VPN, PaDSL is integrated into the MPLS ore and maintains high levels of QoS. It complements Ethernet services and is ideally suited to enterprises like Johnston Press that have multi-site locations.

By implementing a resilient MPLS wide area network (WAN) that connects over 200 sites in total, Johnston Press can improve network performance and resilience, centralise its business applications and position the company for the migration to Voice over IP (VoIP), one of the most significant drivers behind MPLS adoption.

It’s all about future-proofing. By implementing VoIP, businesses could make savings of between 20% and 30%, a figure that no business can afford to ignore.

THUS’s NGN Softswitch provides an even greater depth of convergence. THUS
installed Nortel’s softswitch technology across its core network to handle the demand for IP services and enable convergence of voice, data and Internet traffic. Softswitch technology increases the voice capacity of THUS’s network and offers scalability of legacy services as well as allowing THUS to deliver further value-added services such as enhanced multi-media solutions.

Over the next year, enterprises will see THUS rolling out a broad portfolio of VOIP services , allowing businesses to carry simultaneous voice streams across a single IP access facility. This means that when calls are not being made, more bandwidth is available over the network for high speed data traffic and capacity is used more efficiently. THUS will deploy its Internet Telephony Exchange Line services in the next quarter as a replacement for ISDN 30, enabling businesses that use VoIP to save even more money.

The whole raison d’etre of convergence is to simplify networks and increase
bandwidth flexibility. What is clear is that a next generation MPLS solution looks set to make business life simpler, cheaper and more efficient – which is just what technology is supposed to do.