Boingo Wireless is using Procera Networks' PacketLogic/V solution to manage the consumer experience at its wireless hotspot locations.
Specifically, Boingo has installed a virtual CPE solution from Procera to shape network traffic and apply granular profiles that deliver multiple classes of service as part of its S.M.A.R.T Network offering.
"Procera's platform is a great fit for our NFV-driven architecture," said Derek Peterson, chief technology officer at Boingo Wireless, in a press release. "Their ability to deliver a fully virtualized PacketLogic solution enabled Boingo to achieve the ROI that we needed for our business model. We evaluated hardware-based solutions, but they did not meet our cost or deployment flexibility requirements."
The rollout of NFV is part of Boingo's S.M.A.R.T network design effort, which the company announced in September. S.M.A.R.T stands for Secure, Multiplatform, Analytics-Driven, Responsive and Tiered. Via S.M.A.R.T, Boingo can offer different tiers of service to different users and customers and dynamically manage user traffic.
Peterson told FierceWirelessTech last month that NFV technology will help Boingo provide different levels of service to both its Wi-Fi roaming partners and to its end users. Boingo at that time said it had installed NFV technology at five airports in the United States, including John Wayne Airport in Orange County, Calif., Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Austin, Texas, and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.
Operators increasingly are eyeing NFV to help them virtualize network functions, allowing them to manage their networks without installing new hardware. Much of the focus has been on 3G and LTE carriers, however, rather than Wi-Fi. Peterson explained that Boingo's move to NFV and S.M.A.R.T is a reflection of the maturation of the Wi-Fi market. The growing demand among users for Wi-Fi access--coupled with wireless and cable operators' increasing interest in providing their own Wi-Fi services, partially through roaming agreements with Boingo--pushed Boingo to more actively manage its network.
For its part, Procera sees NFV as a strategic technology, with Boingo shining as a perfect example of new business opportunities enabled by NFV.
PacketLogic/V delivers the full suite of PacketLogic solutions in a software-only footprint, enabling network operators to get all the benefits offered by NFV, the company says. The virtual customer premises equipment (CPE) offering bundles all of Procera's rich insights and actions solutions into a Virtual Network Function as a Service (VNFaaS).
For more:
- see the press release
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