by MTHULISI SIBANDA
JOHANNESBURG, (CAJ News) – THE deployment of the biggest software-defined networking in a wide area network (SD-WAN) in Mauritius has significantly reduced connectivity costs and enhanced a secured
network.
Emtel, the telecom operator, has partnered with NEC XON to deploy the network.
This is said to have reduced connectivity costs by between 30 percent to 40 percent.
The SD-WAN serves around 70 sites including a data centre and the head office.
“The customer previously had a private WAN with dedicated links between each site,” said Prakash Bheekhoo, the Director of Emtel Business.
“This SD WAN solution provides them with additional services and ultimately improves the customer experience. The customer now has a high-performance WAN that uses commonly available Internet links.”
This rollout began in August 2020.
It was completed in November and delivered despite the disruptions of the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Anthony Laing, General Manager of Networking at NEC XON, said when South Africa went into hard lockdown in March, engineers used the time to interact with Emtel, via virtual meetings to design, architect and
script the solution.
He said being able to automate the deployment via standardised scripting and configuration deployment tools was a major benefit of virtualised network deployments that really speeds up delivery.
“This shows that technology has evolved, enabling remote provision of solutions during the pandemic,” Laing added.
– CAJ News