Comsol Networks completes trial of TIP-incubated DCSG solution

Johannesburg, 27 May 2021

Comsol Networks, a leading provider of enterprise-grade licensed wireless infrastructure, is pleased to announce it has completed its trial of the Telecom Infra Project-incubated (TIP) Disaggregated Cell Site Gateway (DCSG) solution in its lab in South Africa.

The trial evaluated how open and disaggregation technology can function in Comsol’s existing network infrastructure and is the first step in a broader strategy to explore new and innovative solutions for their network architectures. The trial was conducted using Network Operating System (NOS) provided by IP Infusion, Edgecore hardware and integration services by Infin8Africa.

“At Comsol, we believe innovation is important to provide the best services to our customers, and open and disaggregated technology like the TIP DCSG is a new and innovative solution in the way networks are designed and deployed,” says Mauritz Lewies, CTO, Comsol Networks.

“This successful trial of our DCSG solution is another proof point that our OcNOS network operating system accelerates disaggregated networking for service providers and delivers TIP-compliant and advanced services at a lower total cost of ownership,” says Atsushi Ogata, President and CEO, IP Infusion.

According to TIP, the DCSG is a shift from the traditional way networks are deployed and being widely adopted to change the future of networks for service providers to meet their innovation and service’s needs.

Following these successful lab trials, Comsol will now proceed with a field trial using TIP DCSG. "Comsol views the Disaggregation Infrastructure as a vital part of our 5G-FWA strategy and deployment moving forward. This will contribute towards Comsol providing a truly value-for-money service to the market that is underpinned by a much-needed quality which in turn enhances the end-user experience of the 5G arena in South Africa.

The DCSG was developed within TIP’s Open Optical & Packet Transport (OOPT) Project Group, by a sub-group led by Vodafone and Facebook. The TIP DCSG uses open, standard-based, disaggregated network technologies to target several opportunities in operators’ IP aggregation networks. This includes overall deployment cost reductions and the creation of a more diverse supply chain as well as operational efficiencies from being able to use software-defined networking (SDN) technologies for network management automation. The results of this trial will be contributed to TIP’s OOPT Project Group.

“At Infin8Africa, we have been engaging the industry regarding the Disaggregated Infrastructure deployment architectures for several years. We have successfully deployed a number of solutions and have worked with our customers, who have realised significant benefits, not only in terms of cost, but as it relates to owning, managing and operating the demands of Web scale environments. The DCSG solution we have been working on with COMSOL has once again proven that the technology is mature and ready for deployment at scale,” says Nigel van Tura, Infin8Africa CEO.

“The disaggregated solution offered by IPI and Edge-Core is a very cost-effective and feature-rich solution for the CSG function to circumvent vendor lock-in and strengthen the disaggregated model put forward by TIP. All the required features: FRR, VPWS, VPLS, EVPN (MPLS forwarding) and L3VPNs function as expected on the platform; additionally FRR was achieved in under 50ms which is exceptional. It will offer operators a valid carrier-grade alternative to the traditional vendor options,” says Hanroux du Plooy, Infin8Africa CTO.

Comsol Networks

Comsol Networks specializes in providing licensed wireless connectivity infrastructure for companies and government entities, no matter the size and complexity and across all sectors that comprise a hybrid of private and public connectivity solutions. Comsol’s focus on laying a solid foundation in support of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) spans across enterprise-grade and broadband last-mile connectivity, WiFi solutions, low power long-range (LoRa) IoT solutions and 5G-FWA solutions for LAN, WAN and Campuses.

Comsol ensures connectivity with a purpose.

http://www.comsol.co.za

IP Infusion Networks

IP Infusion enables disaggregated networking solutions for carriers, service providers and data centre operators. We provide network OS solutions for today’s networks to allow network operators to reduce network costs, increase flexibility, and deploy new features and services quickly. IP Infusion is a solution provider of the OcNOS® and ZebOS® network operating systems to our more than 350 customers and is an integrator and customer service provider for DANOS-Vyatta edition and Commercial SONiC Distribution. IP Infusion is headquartered in Santa Clara, California, and is a wholly-owned and independently operated subsidiary of ACCESS CO., LTD. Additional information can be found at http://www.ipinfusion.com

Edgecore Networks Corporation

Edgecore Networks Corporation is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Accton Technology Corporation, the leading network ODM. Edgecore Networks delivers wired and wireless networking products and solutions through channel partners and system integrators worldwide for Data Center, Service Provider, Enterprise and SMB customers. Edgecore Networks is the leader in open networking, providing a full line of open 1G-400G Ethernet OCP AcceptedTM switches, core routers, cell site gateways, virtual PON OLTs, optical packet transponders, and Wi-Fi access points that offer a choice of commercial and open source NOS and SDN software. For more information, visit www.edge-core.com

Infin8Africa

Infin8Africa is a South African Technology Solutions Provider that focuses on the Sub-Saharan Market, delivering solutions to Telcos, Internet Service Providers, Mobile Operators, Large Enterprises, and Data Centre, Operators. We partner with clients to unlock a value-based eco-system enhancing their own client offering and relations with best-in-class technology solutions developed and implemented with excellence, integrity, and transparency. Infin8Africa is one of the first TIP Partners in Africa and have been jointly developing and promoting solution sets in collaboration with working groups within TIP.

TIP

The Telecom Infra Project (TIP) is a global community of companies and organizations that are driving infrastructure solutions to advance global connectivity to transform global connectivity. Half of the world’s population is still not connected to the internet, and for those who are, connectivity is often insufficient. This limits access to the multitude of consumer and commercial benefits provided by the internet, thereby impacting GDP growth globally. However, a lack of flexibility in the current solutions - exacerbated by a limited choice of technology providers - makes it challenging for operators to efficiently build and upgrade networks. Founded in 2016, TIP is a community of diverse participants that includes hundreds of companies - from service providers and technology partners to systems integrators and other connectivity stakeholders. We are working together to develop, test and deploy open, disaggregated, and standards-based solutions that deliver the high-quality connectivity that the world needs - now and in the decades to come. Find out more: www.telecominfraproject.com