Colt Technology Services, a provider of high bandwidth connectivity solutions, is working with Cisco to add greater flexibility to its Colt IQ Network for mobile service providers (MSPs) ahead of the advent of 5G.
With the ability to deliver 5G backhaul, Colt said it will help MSPs around the world to support new 5G services at exceptional scale, data rates, and low latencies, offering more flexible and cost-effective solutions. To differentiate its 5G backhaul offering and accelerate the delivery time to its customers, Colt will deploy Cisco’s segment routing and Ethernet VPN (eVPN) based architecture.
Deployment of 5G currently requires significant capital and operational expenditure by MSPs due to its bandwidth demands and required fibre investments. By allowing MSPs to share connectivity costs while maintaining individual service level agreements (SLAs) for their applications, Colt’s deployment with Cisco will help its customers deliver 5G services to end-users faster and with lower subscription costs.
Combined with Cisco’s leading-edge, programmable-routing architecture for advanced 5G service enablement, the openness and programmability of the Colt IQ Network can be extended to customers directly using standards-based APIs. This is a breakthrough in automation for next-generation 5G backhaul requirements, enabling self-provisioned bandwidth scaling and guaranteed SLA services or network slices based on latency and bandwidth demands.
The partnership with Cisco will also enable Colt to support newer 5G deployment architectures using Cloud Radio Access Network (CloudRAN). CloudRAN lowers operational costs through more efficient use of spectrum and radio resources and cost-optimised antennas that require fewer site visits.
Peter Coppens, VP, Product Portfolio, Colt
We have worked closely with Cisco to design a network architecture that is simple to operate, highly available, and capable of delivering the innovative network services that are required for 5G.
Sumeet Arora, SVP and GM Service Provider Routing, Cisco
Cisco’s highly programmable segment routing architecture will enable Colt to lower the barriers of entry for MSPs, reducing costs and significantly speeding up the delivery of 5G services.
