Readying Your Broadband Wireless Network for Enhanced Services

1. Readying Your Broadband Wireless Network for the Delivery of Enhanced Services Michael Bouchard Chief Technical Officer Third Rail Americas, Inc w w w . t h i r d r a i l . n e t

2. About Third Rail • Amalgamated Network Systems • Broadband wireless operator / integrator in West Africa • Pre-existing relationship with Third Rail / Spike • AMX Communications • 3.4Ghz frequency holder in Australia • Seeking technology partner to create a global presence • Original Third Rail • Founded 1996 as a subsidiary of Spike Technologies • First two-way MMDS Wireless CLEC in US • Deploying Broadband Wireless IP networks across the globe: Venezuela, Ghana, Trinidad … • SuperQuest award winner for deployment in Venezuela • New Third Rail • Multi-National operator and integrator of broadband wireless voice, video and data solutions • Offices in Nashua, Ghana and Perth • Service provider in US & Africa • Global Network Integration Services

3. Focus The Network Operations Center (NOC) is the heart of your service operation By constructing it with certain considerations geared toward future expansion, the service provider can deliver revenue generating enhanced services such as telephony, streaming media and e-commerce while saving millions in costly rebuilds and retrofits.

4. The NOC: A Simple Definition • If the Broadband Wireless Network were a living human being, the RF pathways and wired interconnections are the blood vessels of the network. Just as in the human body where all the life blood comes from, goes through, and returns to the center of the network or, the heart, all data on the Broadband Wireless Network at some point either comes from or passes through the heart of the network, the Network Operations Center, or NOC. • Following Nature’s example of designing your heart for a lifetime of dependable use under varying and sometimes unpredicted loads, we need to design the NOC to accommodate growth, varying loads, and the life of the network. Streaming multimedia, video and voice telephony, e-commerce and a full menu of additional advanced services offerings can demand more of the heart of your network than the garden variety, walk in the park ISP services.

5. Platforms • Dial Up Service • Outside of Mail, News, Internet Connectivity, Web hosting and File Transfer there are a limited number of offerings that can be added to the dial-up network. • Broadband Network • Phone service, streaming media, two-way video.

6. Building the NOC • There are several areas to address when constructing the NOC that encompass future proofing and planning for expansion: • Physical Space • Power • Fire Suppression • Data Connectivity • Management

7. Building the NOC There are several areas to address when constructing the NOC that encompass future proofing and planning for expansion: • Physical Space • Power • Fire Suppression • Data Connectivity • Management

8. Physical Space • Evaluating the building, available floor space, location, and lease • Enterprise Management Points • Major Interconnection Points • Regional Points-of Presence (POPs) • Local Area POP • Remote Line Shacks

9. Building the NOC There are several areas to address when constructing the NOC that encompass future proofing and planning for expansion: • Physical Space • Power • Fire Suppression • Data Connectivity • Management

10. Power Power Conditioning, Backup and Environmental Control • Free of major fluctuations in voltage, phase and major ingress noise along with sufficient cooling and humidity control. • Must be double converted, filtered, battery back-up, connected to back-up generator. • Building lighting and ancillary power need not run through filtering and battery back-up but should be connected to the generator circuit. • Power grid the building is on should be checked for outage history and ideally located on better provisioned grids such as police, fire, hospitals and other such municipalities.

11. Building the NOC There are several areas to address when constructing the NOC that encompass future proofing and planning for expansion: • Physical Space • Power • Fire Suppression • Data Connectivity • Management

12. Fire Suppression More than just a Fire Extinguisher • Gas Charged Systems • Water Systems • Two Stage Dry Systems

13. Building the NOC There are several areas to address when constructing the NOC that encompass future proofing and planning for expansion: • Physical Space • Power • Fire Suppression • Data Connectivity • Management

14. Data Connectivity Proximity to Major Interconnects, Multi-homing • Desirable to be located at or have reasonable access to major interconnect facility—one where major carriers terminate. • In this way connections to the wired world can be redundant or multi-homed for security and reliability purposes.

15. Building the NOC There are several areas to address when constructing the NOC that encompass future proofing and planning for expansion: • Physical Space • Power • Fire Suppression • Data Connectivity • Management

16. Management Monitoring, Security and Network Planning • Networks must be monitored for trouble, outages, throughput, bottlenecks, intrusion, abuse and a host of other technical and non-technical issues. • Monitoring gives you advanced warning prior to a problem when your network needs to be expanded or upgraded. It can tell you how your hardware processes requests, how building power is behaving and the reliability of your interconnect partners.

17. Summary The NOC functions as nerve center for your Broadband Wireless Network and should be sized, up front, considering expected growth over several years with a generous fudge factor included. Planning a NOC for space, power and HVAC that will grow with your customer base and proper management of your network and applications will save money in the long run and enhance your chances of successfully staying ahead of demand, your competition, and unpredicted issues that may arise.

18. QUESTIONS? Readying Your Broadband Wireless Network for the Delivery of Enhanced Services Michael Bouchard Chief Technical Officer Third Rail Americas, Inc w w w . t h i r d r a i l . n e t