Cybernet thinks Bandwagon?
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Cybernet recently awarded a $25MM contract to Juniper Networks to upgrade its core IP network to support MPLS switching.
MPLS networks are almost common now in Pakistan — telcos would use them to offer tiers of quality of service on their networks for different consumer packages (e.g. ‘voice quality network for VoIP’; ‘Internet best-effort quality network’ etc.). Most LDI operators have them.
MPLS lets Cybernet decide how to prioritize different types of traffic on its network. Cybernet is one of the companies I would not have expected to think about MPLS or NGN networks, and I find this odd.
Unless they have a fixed-telephony license from PTA, they cannot offer VoIP to consumers like WorldCall is doing on its cable network, and Micronet is doing under the Nayatel FTTH project in Islamabad, and — err — what Wateen is doing with FTTx in DHA Lahore, and …well… Brain is offering in Lahore. Not to mention the actual telcos ofcourse.
I like to think people don’t jump on bandwagons. So if it is not VoIP, the best (consumer-based) reason that I can figure for this investment (without delving into NDA territory) is perhaps Cybernet wants to go the anti-net-neutrality route. That means two things:
- Cybernet guarantees better QoS for corporate customers who host their applications on Cybernet data-centers. Thus, if you are a big company that can afford it, you can easily squash your smaller competitors because of guaranteed delivery of packets.
- Cybernet offers tiered services for different types of internet usage for customers. So if you’re a gaming-heavy person, or person who loves Torrents, you get to pay more.
OR maybe all of this is just meant to offer ‘better internet’ for Corporate Customers.
Can anyone shed more light on this?
3:42 pm
Other than the fact that MPLS switches IP packets based on labels, and hence speeds up the lookup process, MPLS has other applications and every single one of them is important. MPLS VPNs allow the Service provider to segregate the customer traffic on the backbone and allow tricks not possible with conventional routing/switching. Nayatel offers Layer 2 and Layer 3 VPNs. In fact, one of our ISP customers with around 10 Mbps of connectivity to the internet is placed in an MPLS IP VPN. So the customer’s traffic is carried inside the VPN to the Internet backbone. Layer 2 MPLS VPNs allow us to deliver Ethernet frames from one point to the other in a point-to-point or multipoint topology. So from a customer perspective, Nayatel can act like a LAN switch!. Nayatel also carries live LDI traffic for some of the LDI companies over a Layer 2 Ethernet VPN.Other MPLS applications are Traffic Engineering which allows us to tell the network which way voice or data traffic has to go. In conventional routing, the path is chosen based on the destination ip address, irrespective of the type of traffic that a packet is carrying. Not so with MPLS!. And finally we have Quality of Service and the Label Switch paths (LSPs) can be chosen based on the priority assigned to the traffic.
MPLS is always good to have because of the control it provides in an IP network.
8:40 am
hmmm. lets face it the VoIP cloud is increasing as time passes.
PTCL can site and watch every other Internet company offering the same service using the umbrellas of other service names.
but the truth is out there, VoIP is being operated in Pakistan .
what cybernet is doing is always in the bags from long time. It is the Quality of Service for the corporate customers. Retail customer are not loyale to any single internet Service provider. let alone the charges are offered for such services are so confusing that it really needs a mathematic to understand.
Cybernet expansion or conversion in any network topology or equipment has always been in the betterment of the basic service which is internet. therefore i would go for the steps taken.
I would rather be intrested in the information on shifting of key persons of Cyber Managment !!!! any comments on that.
Shahab.