Connecting to the internet is a vital and daily activity for most people worldwide, as it provides access to millions of terabytes of information. To make this possible, broadband providers connect individuals to the internet. How does this work?
Broadband Network Gateways
A Broadband Network Gateway (BNG) is the access point for individuals (subscribers) to connect to the broadband network. The BNG aggregates traffic from many subscribers and routes it to the network of the service provider. Once connected, a subscriber can access the broadband services delivered by their provider.
BNGs also enable service providers to authenticate and authorize users to establish and manage subscriber sessions, and ensure users receive the appropriate services.
The Changing World of Broadband Network Gateways
Bandwidth demand continues to increase and customers now expect instant access to new services in our on-demand world. What does this mean for broadband providers?
They need to deliver more bandwidth at lower costs.
Unfortunately, traditional broadband networks weren’t built for massive bandwidth demands or on-demand services. And trying to upgrade existing hardware-based networks (designed for yesterday’s internet) is expensive, complex, and inefficient. As a result, networking costs are now growing faster than carrier revenue. Of course, this isn’t a sustainable business model.
netElastic Introduces a Virtual Broadband Network Gateway
Given the challenges with hardware-based BNGs, netElastic was one of the first vendors to introduce a software-based (virtual) BNG. netElastic vBNG runs on low-cost white-box servers and is designed to deliver unmatched performance and scalability.
Unlike other virtual BNGs, netElastic’s highly optimized data plane and patented packet processing techniques maximize hardware performance. Decoupling of the control plane and data plane allows for flexible capacity expansion without restrictions from either plane.
Today, netElastic’s award-winning Virtual BNG is deployed by service providers worldwide and is widely known for its industry-leading performance. To learn more about how service providers are benefitting from vBNG, please read the Harbour ISP case study.
With thanks to Rich Sabin – this MBUZZ Europe Guest Blog was first published by netElastic Systems on 31/1/2020