Network Services and full-spectrum connectivity
Today more than ever, business organisations recognise that their competitive advantage depends on the ability to be more flexible, agile, and cost-effective than their competitors. Having the right network services can enable a business to reach a global customer base from anywhere in the world.
As Lloyd Fray, CEO of the Bermuda Telephone Company (BTC) made clear: “International business is a primary driver of Bermuda’s economy, and reliable communications services play a vital role in that success. Many of the world’s most influential businesses call our shores home. As the Island’s largest communications provider, BTC is proud to be able to meet their needs. Our continued investment in local infrastructure tells the world that Bermuda is open for business and infinitely well-equipped to service them.”
Reliable connectivity, network resilience and scalability are elements that any viable communications partner in a preferred domicile for international companies around the globe must possess. These requirements, paired with demand for next generation services, led to the transformation of BTC’s legacy network into ‘PRISM’, the fully integrated, fibre-based Internet protocol (IP) network of the future.
“This fibreoptic network is part of the ongoing investment the KeyTech Group is making in Bermuda’s communications infrastructure to enable the provisioning of new products and services. This will better position our companies to meet customer demand for reliable, higher data speeds,” said Sheila Lines, CEO of the KeyTech Group.
PRISM’s centrally managed IP/multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) core will provide customers with seamless connectivity. The network will be managed by a highly skilled team of Ciscocertified technicians who will have access to advanced reporting and troubleshooting tools.
Engineered redundancy and a fibre ring topology will allow BTC to deliver an exceptional level of security and redundancy to its customers, ensuring high levels of availability at all times.
When evaluating potential partners, BTC selected Cisco as a preferred partner because of its comprehensive solutions. The Cisco ASR 9000 provides the PRISM network with a solid backbone and the Cisco Prime management solution will enable BTC to serve its customers more efficiently. BTC not only wanted to provide customers with newer, cost-efficient solutions, but also wanted to ensure the new network architecture could meet their future demands.
“Partnering with a progressive organisation such as Cisco means guaranteed delivery of a superior end product. They have participated in the successful deployment of fibre-based networks around the world,” said Fray. “Cisco is globally recognised as a first-class partner. Its mission— to shape the future of the Internet by creating unprecedented value and opportunity for our customers, employees, investors and ecosystem partners—holds true for BTC and we are proud to have them on board.”
"By designing, testing, and validating the network at a system level, Cisco is able to ensure that capabilities such as quality of service and network management work flawlessly."
Cisco recognises that carrier-class ethernet has become a fundamental requirement in the transformation towards converged IP nextgeneration networks (IP NGN). These NGNs can efficiently deliver advanced video, voice, mobile and cloud services to both consumers and businesses. At the same time they also enable network operators to minimise their expenses by consolidating all service types into a single infrastructure. Cisco has taken an approach which combines innovative product development, validated end-to-end system designs, and an adherence to industry standards to ensure that superior ethernet performance can be achieved.
Cisco’s carrier ethernet products such as the Cisco ASR 9000 Series meet the demand for next generation flexible, scalable and resilient carrier ethernet optimised platforms. These highly reliable systems can grow to 100 gigabytes, yet still minimise power consumption compared to other solutions. Cisco believes that sophisticated platforms alone are not sufficient to ensure high performance carrier ethernet networks. Unique in the industry, they’ve developed an end-to-end carrier ethernet system which covers the core, edge, aggregation, and customer locations in the network. By designing, testing, and validating the network at a system level, Cisco is able to ensure that capabilities such as quality of service and network management work flawlessly.
Cisco has taken the lead in the creation of many ethernet standards and is a member of the Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF). All the Cisco carrier ethernet products used within the BTC PRISM network are MEF-compliant. Cisco was the first company in the networking industry to have a complete end-to-end system validated to meet the standards specified by the MEF.
]“PRISM is a secure, reliable platform not only for Hamilton-based businesses; it also supports those with multiple locations throughout the Island, as the network extends to its eastern and western extremities,” said Fray.
The services and pricing of PRISM are highly scalable and will provide businesses of varying size and communications requirements with solutions that will assist them in making their day-to-day operations more efficient.
The resulting partnership between BTC, Bermuda’s premier communications provider, and Cisco, the world’s leading networking equipment vendor, has resulted in the Island’s most robust, furthest-reaching network.
