MTN tests Facebook-designed Voyager platform
South African mobile operator MTN Group has deployed and tested the open optical packet transport platform Voyager, with indications that operators could now install a network at a lower cost.
The group, working with Telecom Infra Project (TIP), field-tested the Voyager next-generation technology in MTN data centres between 14th avenue, in Fairlands, and Soccer City, in Soweto, at the end of October.
MTN is part of the Open Optical Packet Transport project group within TIP, which was formed in February to enable collaboration on the development of new technologies and find “fresh approaches” to build and deploy telecoms network infrastructure.
The project aims to reduce costs and increase the speed of rolling out Internet connectivity, with MTN seeking the possibility of deploying 19 Tb/s of connectivity to the community using open optical networking technology.
The test results show the highest performance with zero packet or signal, loss, and the potential for significant overall cost savings, as it moves away from the vendors’ costly proprietary platforms.
“This means that the roll-out of the Voyager platform will enable operators to install a network at a lower cost, which, in turn, will result in cheaper connectivity for customers,” MTN group network technology officer Navi Naidoo said in a statement.
The next step is to obtain the necessary approvals and explore commercial roll-out of the platform, with the outcomes now being presented at the TIP Summit, currently under way in California, in the US.
“Voyager’s tests show that open and collaborative approaches can help increase the speed of network innovation and implementation, and represent an important step in the development of an open system that will increase the efficiency of fibre networks,” said Facebook engineering director Hans-Juergen Schmidtke.
Article Enquiry
Email Article
Save Article
Feedback
To advertise email advertising@creamermedia.co.za or click here
Press Office
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation















