Europe’s Routers Could Hold the Key to Digital Sovereignty

European technology firms have launched SAFENet, calling for stronger protection of routers and network devices as a critical part of Europe's digital security strategy.

Europe's Routers Are the Digital Front Door – So Why Are We Ignoring Them?

When discussions turn to digital security, most attention tends to focus on cloud services, artificial intelligence, semiconductors and 5G networks. Yet one of the most important pieces of technology in our homes and workplaces is often overlooked: the humble router.

A new alliance of leading European network technology companies believes that needs to change.

Four major manufacturers, devolo, FRITZ! (AVM), LANCOM Systems and TDT AG, have come together to launch SAFENet, the Sovereignty Alliance for European Network Technology. Their message is simple: if Europe wants true digital sovereignty, it must pay far closer attention to the devices that handle the vast majority of its internet traffic.

According to research cited by the alliance, around 93 per cent of European internet traffic passes through routers and home network gateways. These are the devices that connect us to online banking, healthcare services, work systems, streaming platforms and private communications. In comparison, mobile networks account for only around seven per cent of internet traffic.

That makes routers far more than simple networking equipment. They are the digital front door to our connected lives.

The concern raised by SAFENet is that Europe has become heavily dependent on technology produced outside the continent. The alliance points to Chinese manufacturers controlling close to 40 per cent of the router and gateway market, creating potential security and strategic risks.

To address this, SAFENet is calling on European and national policymakers to take three key actions.

First, it wants greater transparency so consumers and organisations can clearly see where network hardware, software and security updates are developed and maintained.

Second, it is urging public bodies and operators of critical infrastructure to prioritise trusted European-made networking technology when purchasing equipment.

Finally, the alliance wants routers and network devices to receive the same level of strategic attention as 5G infrastructure. It is proposing a dedicated "Router and Network Technology Security Toolbox" that would assess risks and identify potentially high-risk suppliers.

The debate around digital sovereignty is likely to intensify in the coming years. While cloud platforms and artificial intelligence often dominate headlines, SAFENet argues securing Europe's digital future may begin with something much closer to home, the router sitting quietly in the corner of your office or living room.

As Europe seeks greater control over its digital destiny, that argument may become increasingly difficult to ignore.

safe-net.tech 

Africa Mobile Network Surpasses 5000 Base Stations Transforming Connectivity Across Sub-Saharan Africa

Africa Mobile Networks (AMN) has achieved a significant infrastructure milestone, surpassing 5000 base stations and providing critical connectivity to more than 15 million people across Sub-Saharan Africa. 

The network’s advanced architecture now supports approximately 11.2 million billable voice minutes every day, further accelerating the digital transformation of the region. 

By deploying advanced RAN technology where traditional coverage once ended, AMN are proving that distance is no longer a barrier to digital inclusion, integrating communities without mobile network service into the global digital economy.

Sub-Saharan Africa represents a market of approximately 1.1 billion people, nearly one-seventh of the global population, with 62% residing in rural areas. Today, over 300 million people across the region live in villages with no mobile network coverage.

By surpassing 5000 deployed base stations, AMN is bridging this gap. AMN deploys its proprietary Radio Node (ARN) on all new installations, a versatile 2G/3G/4G small cell solution engineered to deliver 4TRX alongside HSPA+ within a single frequency band. Centred around AMN’s own future-proof, wideband Software Defined Radio (SDR) design, the ARN900 utilises open interfaces and a strategic disaggregation of hardware and software to provide opportunities for continued development.

AMN has deployed ARN900 to existing sites to provide significantly increased voice capacity and data services. By maintaining full ownership and control of the hardware, developed specifically for rural deployment and assembled in-house within the UK, the company ensures unparalleled operational agility and network security. AMN is currently deploying its first dual-band ARN, offering increased 2G and 4G resources across two frequency bands from a single unit.

A core differentiator of the AMN infrastructure is its total operational independence. By integrating high-efficiency solar power with VSAT backhaul, the system is truly ubiquitous, engineered for rapid installation in regions beyond the reach of conventional power grids or terrestrial network infrastructure. This self-sustaining architecture allows AMN to profitably deliver mobile connectivity to any global community exceeding 1,000 residents, effectively overcoming the geographical barriers to digital inclusion.

“I’m immensely proud of the momentum our team has maintained since our inception. Their commitment to overcoming complex infrastructure challenges is what drives our progress everyday”. commented Michael Darcy, CEO of AMN told That's Technolongy.

“We are driven by the conviction that no community should be sidelined by geography. Our ‘zero exclusion’ is powered by our ARN, by maintaining total in-house architectural control, we possess the unique agility to connect Africa, one community at a time”.

Surmounting the 5000-station milestone proves rural connectivity is achievable at scale, sustainably, and with profound social impact. While these achievements are measured in infrastructure, AMN’s true success lies in the human opportunities unlocked; each site serves as a digital anchor that stimulates local economies and fosters global digital participation. W

ith a strategic target of 10,000 sites, AMN is building the foundation to bring life-changing connectivity to millions, reinforcing its commitment to a fully connected Africa. 

A comprehensive survey involving 37 villages across Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire and Zambia revealed a transformative shift in quality of life following the deployment of AMN’s infrastructure. On average across surveyed sites, 83% of residents in these previously unconnected communities have adopted mobile money services, representing a massive increase in regional financial inclusion.

AMN plans to deploy an additional 1,000 sites across Sub-Saharan Africa in 2026, expanding its networks in Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire, and Liberia.

Guided by a focus on technological agility and operational excellence, AMN is bridging the digital divide, ensuring that Sub-Saharan Africa does not just join the digital world, but leads its own digital conversation.

For more information about Africa Mobile Networks and its rural connectivity projects, please visit amn.com. 

Metaswitch Puts Perimeta™ Session Border Control in the Cloud

Boosting its commitment to running high performance session border control (SBC) on commercial off-the-shelf platforms, Metaswitch Networks today announced that its industry-leading Perimeta SBC software is being made available for deployment on generic enterprise servers as well as virtual machine environments to support elastic cloud computing networks.

Introduced in September 2011 and already selected by more than 60 service providers worldwide, Perimeta’s flexible architecture supports independent scaling of an SBC’s signalling and media functions – allowing service providers to cost-effectively address the signalling-heavy, changing mix of network traffic. With Perimeta now available to run on various hypervisors, large operators can take advantage of private elastic cloud environments to scale SBC functions completely independently of dedicated hardware.

“Our established approach to building portable SBC software makes it natural to extend Perimeta into cloud-based architectures,” said Martin Taylor, Metaswitch’s CTO.

“By architecting our solution for massively parallel operation on multi-core CPUs, network operators can now, for the first time, leverage COTS server farms to initiate virtual SBC capacity on demand. This is a highly efficient use of shared compute resources and mirrors the software-defined network trend of moving control plane software into elastic compute clouds.”

“Today network operators are investing heavily in data center infrastructure, including server hardware and virtualisation software to support growing computing demands,” said Diane Myers, Directing Analyst, VoIP and IMS, Infonetics. “By allowing operators to scale SBC capacity and functions on demand, Metaswitch is helping to limit capital expenditures and infrastructure complexity while optimizing the use of SBC licenses.”

Perimeta SBC is currently running live on Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud and Metaswitch will be demonstrating Perimeta at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona from February 27 – March 1 on the MWC Avenue (AV80-81). Follow Metaswitch in Barcelona on Twitter at #metamwc.

FACTFILE:
Learn more about deploying Session Border Control in the cloud.

Metaswitch Networks is a leading provider of the software that powers a whole new generation of communications services, and the solutions that fuel the rapid migration to all-IP architectures. Hundreds of network operators worldwide defend, extend and brand their business by building on Metaswitch to deliver a reliable, scalable, and immersive communications experience. For more information, please visit www.metaswitch.com. Follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

Unique workflow wizard simplifies safe onboarding of personal mobile devices to corporate networks

Bradford Networks has announced it has developed a Mobile Security Suite with HP. The integrated solution combines Bradford’s heterogeneous network access control (NAC) with HP Enterprise Mobility Solutions to create an easy-to-use workflow wizard that simplifies the deployment of both Bradford and HP products. Benefits include securely allowing personal mobile devices onto corporate networks quickly and a decreased total cost of ownership.

“Gaining visibility into who and what devices are on your network is a critical first step towards enabling secure access in a Bring Your Own Device environment,” said Vincent Ma, VP, Business Development, Bradford Networks. “We have created the Mobile Security Suite to give customers a best-of-breed secure network access solution, so that customers can focus on running their business, not administering the solution.”

According to Gartner, NAC will be a key element in a flexible approach to securing a ‘bring your own device’ (BYOD) environment. “The ability to support NAC policies in wireless LANs will become more important during the BYOD era,” said Gartner research director, Lawrence Orans.

Available in a range of deployment options, including on-premise, virtual and as a private cloud offering, the Mobile Security Suite addresses the most critical enterprise IT issues driven by the consumerisation of IT, including:

- Enabling flexible network access for personal devices without compromising security – employees can use their own devices and be more productive

- Securing network resources, including financial assets, intellectual property, R&D data, credit card data, and patient data

- Providing the IT staff with 100 per cent visibility into the devices being connected to their corporate networks

- Provisioning network access based on device type and user role

- Eliminating device vulnerabilities that can create backdoors for cyber-criminals and advanced persistent threat (APT) attacks

- Ensuring regulatory compliance with PCI, CIPA, HIPAA and more.

“As the use of personal devices in the workplace becomes more prominent, organisations need a way to securely connect users to corporate networks,” said Roger Sands, product line director, Mobility and Wireless, Networking, HP. “Together, Bradford’s network access control and HP Networking solutions allow organisations to securely onboard and profile all types of personal mobile devices onto the network while achieving complete network visibility.”

Availability

The Bradford Networks Mobile Security Suite for HP will be available in March 2012.

FACTFILE:
Bradford Networks offers the best solution to enable secure network access for corporate issued and personal mobile devices. The company’s flexible Network Sentry platform is the first network security offering that can automatically identify and profile all devices and all users on a network, providing complete visibility and control. Unlike vendor-specific network security products, Network Sentry provides a view across all brands of network equipment and connecting devices eliminating the network blind spots that can introduce risk. Hundreds of customers and millions of users worldwide rely on Bradford to secure their IP networks.

Wolves whistle happy tune thanks to new wireless network from SilverBug

Premier League football club Wolverhampton Wanderers (the Wolves), has signed a contract with outsourcing IT experts, SilverBug, for a new stadium wide wireless network, which makes it, probably, the best network available at any UK sports stadium.

The investment in this new technology is part of Wolves Chairman Steve Morgan's commitment to redevelop and modernise the club, and provide first class facilities for its supporters, staff and visitors.

As part of the network overhaul, SilverBug is providing new back-end servers, increased storage capability and enhanced network security features for the Club. This will allow visiting journalists, and pitch side photographers, access to fast, reliable wireless technology for reporting, with no dead spots or diminishing networks caused by the drain of high user numbers, unlike most other clubs.

Wolves is due to open a new £18million Stan Cullis (North) Stand in July this year. The new North Stand will house an interactive Club Museum, which the network will also enable.

Commenting on the investment in the new feature rich network, Jez Moxey, CEO at Wolves said: "We always aim to provide our fans and visitors with the best possible experience when visiting Molineux . This state-of-the-art Wireless network from SilverBug opens-up new opportunities to improve both our match day, and non-match day, service whether that be more efficient ticketing, communications or services to visiting journalists and photographers from across the UK and overseas”.

Owen Daley, MD of SilverBug said: "It's a very exciting time in the development of Wolves, and SilverBug is pleased to be a part of that, by providing the Club with such leading, cost effective technology."

FACTFILE
With its HQ in Milton Keynes and an office in Leeds, SilverBug (www.silverbug.com) delivers innovative outsourced IT solutions to small and medium sized enterprises across the UK and globally. With a customer base that spans from start-up organisations to major household brands, SilverBug provides IT solutions that enhance business efficiency and provide tangible business benefits to its customers.

Mobile Operators: Are You Keeping Up?

Under its theme “The Switch is On – Are You Keeping Up?” Metaswitch Networks, a leading provider of the software and solutions that power a whole new generation of communications services, will use Mobile World Congress (Barcelona, February 27 – March 1) to show how operators can keep up with the increasing demands of network traffic, standards compliance, competitive threats and customer needs.

“Operators that don’t move quickly to build a suite of applications around subscribers’ mobile phone numbers are going to be eclipsed by the OTT revolution,” said Steve Gleave, vice president of marketing at Metaswitch.

“Metaswitch provides these operators with weapons to seize power in this struggle, equipping them with multimedia telephony solutions that can deliver an immersive communications experience to all of their customers. As these new applications drive more traffic on all networks, Metaswitch’s new breed of session border controllers can also scale to support the non-linear growth of messaging and media.”

Metaswitch’s success in developing innovative applications has been recognized by its finalist nomination in the GSMA Global Mobile Awards, the winners of which are announced on February 28. Thrutu™, Metaswitch’s pioneering mobile content sharing app now available for exclusive licensing by mobile operators, is shortlisted in the “Most Innovative Mobile App” category.

To showcase its suite of solutions for mobile operators, Metaswitch is running a series of live interactive demos at its pavilion on The Avenue (80/81). Also engaging visitors will be soccer ‘keepie-uppie’ Guinness World Record holder Daniel Cutting, performing his repertoire of unique juggling skills hourly.

FACTFILE:
Metaswitch Networks is a leading provider of the software that powers a whole new generation of communications services, and the solutions that fuel the rapid migration to all-IP architectures. Hundreds of network operators worldwide defend, extend and brand their business by building on Metaswitch to deliver a reliable, scalable, and immersive communications experience. For more information, please visit www.metaswitch.com. Follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

iomart calls on UK Government to make Kitemark for Child Online Safety compulsory for public sector

iomart Group, a UK-based web hosting company, has issued a call to the UK Government to insist that all public sector organisations with a duty of care to children should only purchase software products that have been awarded the BSI Kitemark for Child Online Safety.

iomart Group’s stance follows the announcement on 2nd February 2012 by the Science and Technology Select Committee, that the UK government should consider imposing safety standards on software sold if self-regulation isn’t adopted by the IT industry.

iomart’s web security software Netintelligence, which provides internet protection for 100,000s of school children and families in the UK, is the first and only such software to carry the BSI Kitemark for Child Online Safety. Netintelligence was awarded the Kitemark by Children and Families Minister Tim Loughton in January 2011. So far, no other UK software company has taken up the accreditation and the government has not supported the Kitemark publicly.

The BSI Kitemark for Child Online Safety is a certification scheme for internet website filtering software produced by software manufacturers. These products can be bought as stand-alone products from computer retailers or come as part of an operating system or ISP package. The software’s ease of use, reliability, and performance must meet the scheme’s strict criteria.

Angus MacSween, CEO of iomart Group plc, said: “Back in 2007, iomart along with the British Standards Institute, OFCOM, the Home Office, several major UK child safety organisations and other private sector companies spent a considerable amount of time working on the specifications required for PAS 74 (Access control systems for the protection of children online), which ultimately became the BSI Kitemark for Online Child Safety.

Rather than yet another clarion call for more action, the UK Government could make a bold stance now. It should insist that all public sector organisations with a duty of care towards protecting children online, for example schools and local authorities, should only purchase products that have been awarded the Kitemark. That way other commercial companies will have to follow the lead of Netintelligence and iomart to provide software that the public can trust.”

iomart Group plc is ranked as one of the top web hosting companies in the world by HostReview and is Scottish Digital IT Company of the Year 2011. Bill Strain was recently named IT Leader of the Year 2011 by IT Pro.

For more information about iomart Group plc visit www.iomart.com

Wireless in the Warehouse

Redditch, 30 January 2012 - Networks First, an independent provider of support services for network infrastructure, has successfully designed and implemented a new LAN and WLAN for James Hall & Co.

The north of England distributor for the SPAR convenience stores called on Networks First to manage the IT challenges of moving to larger custom-built premises, including a new corporate head office and a vast new distribution warehouse.

Networks First were also called upon to manage the design and implementation of the network infrastructure in these new premises.

As a new build project, James Hall & Co. made use of Networks First’s Consultancy team throughout the building stages who had to face the challenges of designing a network for two different environments. Corporate Wireless LAN involves a known set of metrics whereas the warehouse environment had some unique difficulties to address.

For example, the warehouse required 100% wireless coverage so that staff could receive order information through their wireless headsets anywhere on the premises. Onsite testing wasn’t going to be an option as the building only existed on paper so Networks First used specialist planning software to predict the wireless coverage.

The warehouse environment had further unique challenges as explained by Paul Lewis, Network’s First’s lead consultant on the project: “New build premises are something of a double-edged sword for network engineers, particularly in the case of wireless implementations. It can be beneficial to start from scratch with design and implementation. But at the same time the building process can be unpredictable due to the nature of the warehouse environment, and the lack of any physical premises to inspect can make planning and testing more difficult.”

Constant dialogue on every aspect of the marriage between the construction and IT implementation processes was required. James Hall & Co.’s IT director, Dominic Hall, comments: “It was vital that our partners were willing to take a flexible and collaborative approach. The adaptability of Networks First, and Amillan staff was key throughout the project from an IT perspective, and helped the construction of the building to run smoothly as well.”

For a network-critical business like James Hall & Co., a long period of downtime during the changeover was simply not an option. For this reason, Networks First facilitated the parallel running of the old and new networks during the changeover period so that the business could continue to function as normal.

”Without a doubt, the network switchover was the smoothest part of the move to the new premises. There was the absolute minimum of downtime and fuss,” said Dominic Hall. “Now that we are in the new building the network is working faultlessly and exactly as was specified.”

To read the full case study, please click here

Can your network cope with the cloud? The one where Mr. Rex has his head in the cloud

Networks First, the independent provider of network support services, has released another entertaining dinosaur video.

The online video sees hard-pressed head of IT Simmons once again being terrorised by his fearsome chief executive Mr T. Rex, who demands that he quickly implements a cloud computing solution without time to consider the full implications.

The message of evolving your network is again brought to life with model dinosaurs. The disastrous results at the fictional company in the Jurassic Business Park neatly demonstrate the value of network testing and optimisation prior to implementation.

Networks First’s managing director, Sara Gemmell comments: “Delivering ‘change’ is now the common theme for IT and network managers. New technologies, such as cloud computing, as well as changing business practices, such as homeworking and bring your own devices, are all heavily dependent on a high performing network”.

According to Gemmell, network emulation can help organisations prepare for transformational IT change: “Networks First’sTransformation Testing is an innovative new service that emulates a wide area network prior to roll-out of any major transitions, and shows the impact of implementing the new services.

"These insights can then be used to optimise your infrastructure before rolling out new services, ensuring minimal disruption to users of both the new and existing applications. You can then accurately plan for future growth and build a better business case for investment.

“Senior managers and directors often want things immediately without considering the implications for the network. In our videos Mr Rex isn’t thinking about the consequences of implementing a cloud computing solution – in this case with disastrous results! “

To view the video, please click here.

G3 Strengthens Senior Management Team with New Appointment

Telecommunications and converged network specialist, G3, has announced the appointment of Niall Anderson as its new Group Sales Director. Anderson joins from Avaya, leading providers of enterprise communication systems, leaving his role as UK and Ireland Channel Director to take over from Alan Lloyd at G3.

As well as his work with Avaya, Anderson brings a depth of significant sales, marketing and senior management experience from a variety of other major telecoms and technology operators, including periods as Chief Marketing Officer EMEA at Global Crossing and VP Sales for UK and Ireland at Orange Business Services.

Anderson’s appointment is part of a planned programme to develop the Group’s service delivery strategy and capitalise on changing market conditions, an initiative being steered by Lee Shorten who was appointed as strategic adviser to the G3 Board last November.

G3 Managing Director, Tony Parish, sees Anderson’s industry knowledge and experience as making a fundamental contribution across the Group in a role that will continue to drive the business forwards:

“Niall has an impressive track record and a reputation for building strong customer relationships on both the domestic and international stages. He is able to contribute on many different levels and his skills and experience align perfectly with those required to meet our strategic priorities.”

“As converged voice and data solutions become increasingly sophisticated and complex, we are continuing to leverage the individual specialist skills and expertise we offer through both G3 Telecommunications and G3 Network Services with the common objective of delivering world-class unified systems that streamline business processes, mitigate risk and cut costs. Niall’s knowledge of Avaya and his senior experience in the data networks arena will help us enhance our service offering and improve the overall experience for our customers.”

“In addition, as members of the Aura Alliance – the world’s largest Avaya accredited global alliance – we will continue to drive the development of partnerships and services on an international level. Importantly, Niall’s experience gained at Global Crossing will help strengthen G3’s contribution in this area.”

Anderson is looking forward to helping accelerate G3’s growth: “These are challenging economic times and enterprise customers all over the world are looking to extract maximum value from every part of their operations – including communications. I have previously followed G3’s progress with great interest and have been impressed with their professionalism and ambition. With the most advanced voice and data solutions and best-in-class services, I believe G3 Telecommunications and G3 Network Services are well placed to deliver on the value of unified communications. My role is to ensure we do exactly that.”

Niall has over 15 years experience in the ICT sector working in senior management positions for large, market-leading corporations such as Sun Microsystems, Orange Business Services, Global Crossing and Avaya. With a focus on sales, marketing and business management roles - both locally and internationally - he has proven strategic and transformational leadership capabilities and acts as an Advisory Board Member for the consultancy, Positive Momentum.

G3 designs, implements and maintains converged voice and data communications. We are an Avaya Gold Business Partner, a Siemens Premier Partner and the founding member of the Aura Alliance, the global network of top Avaya Partners serving multi-national enterprise customers.
www.g3-tel.com

MLL Telecom announces ‘MIND’ its new intelligent network design tool for public sector networks

MLL Telecom will demonstrate the power of the tool at Socitm 2011, Hilton Hotel, NEC Birmingham 29th November to 1st December

MLL Telecom - www.mlltelecom.com - announces its new intelligent network design tool, ‘MIND’, which will revolutionise the network design process and greatly benefit public sector customers in terms of cost and time savings. The innovative new tool takes postcodes from the hundreds of locations that need to be included in a PSN network and within seconds can optimise the millions of permutations of connectivity back into the UK’s telecoms infratsructure.

‘MIND allows us to work out, very quickly, the best operations for Access Network design. We can also see in an instant where savings for customers can be made,’ said Stuart Borgman, chief technology officer at MLL Telecom. ‘Previously all this work would have taken several hours to complete manually, and then have to be repeated through every design iteration.’

The first release of the tool can calculate the range of exchanges that the postcodes map to, the radial distance to the parent exchange and also the calculated distance in copper line to the exchange. The data can then be exported to a view in Google maps, showing the range of options available. MLL Telecom plan to develop MIND further, with eight more modules planned. These modules will include indicative pricing, backhaul and core network, and radio integration modules.

MLL Telecom will be demonstrating MIND in action at the Socitm Conference at the Hilton Hotel, Birmingham NEC, 29th November to 1st December 2011. Delegates are invited to bring their postcode data with them to see how MIND can optimse the costs of their network.

For more information visit www.mlltelecom.com/news-views/events/18/Socitm-2011