Virgin Media O2 has integrated its fixed and mobile networks into a Converged Interconnect Network (CIN), designed to support both types of traffic.
The next-generation infrastructure is built for scalability, addressing the growing and dynamic needs of businesses and consumers.
The CIN pushes Virgin Media O2’s network core deeper into its infrastructure, utilizing IP-routed networks within the access network. This approach allows seamless coexistence of various services, simplifies network management, and delivers an optimized, high-capacity experience closer to end-users.
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CIN Capabilities
Engineered for future growth, the CIN can be rapidly scaled to accommodate rising data demands, driven by evolving user habits and expanded connectivity to underserved areas.
Virgin Media O2 customers are now enjoying symmetrical broadband speeds of up to 2 Gbps, enabling the seamless upload and download of large files. Additionally, the operator has increased backhaul capacity at several cell sites ten-fold, ensuring fast and reliable mobile data access for users on the move. These advancements are driving faster connections to the core network and meeting the rising demand for data.
The newly integrated network infrastructure, which handles both mobile and fixed traffic, optimizes how Virgin Media and O2 services manage data. By aggregating traffic closer to users before routing it to the core, the network improves efficiency, enhances resilience, and delivers a more consistent experience for customers.
CIN is delivering enhanced latency, faster response times, and superior performance for customers. Its robust architecture eliminates single points of failure, reducing the risk of outages and ensuring greater reliability for broadband and mobile services.
The CIN also bolsters Virgin Media O2’s wholesale 10 Gbps offerings, enabling wholesale partners to scale operations more efficiently and seamlessly.
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CIN Architecture
Jeanie York, Chief Technology Officer at Virgin Media O2, described the activation of the CIN as a pivotal step in the company’s long-term strategy, emphasizing its role in uniting the strengths of their two networks to deliver an exceptional customer experience.
“This new network architecture brings together two separate networks for the first time, enabling more efficient, scalable, and resilient data movement. It enables us to deliver next-generation services to our broadband and mobile customers across the country, ensuring we’re ready to keep on meeting their needs both now and in [the] future,” York stated.
Ciena is supporting Virgin Media O2’s CIN with its 5171 and 8180 coherent routers, featuring WaveLogic™ 5 Nano coherent pluggable optics. Managed by the Navigator Network Control Suite, this space- and power-efficient solution supports Virgin Media O2’s goals of achieving seamless network and service convergence.
Virginie Hollebecque, Vice President and Leader of EMEA at Ciena, said, “Leveraging Ciena’s advanced networking solution, the CIN architecture optimizes efficiency, improves network resiliency, and enhances service delivery to keep pace with the evolving needs of Virgin Media O2’s customers.”
