The document discusses the benefits of network sharing initiatives between organizations like local authorities, schools, healthcare providers, and emergency services. It outlines how a shared community network could provide a more cost-effective, flexible, and trusted alternative to private or public networks by optimizing costs through traffic engineering and prioritization across a common infrastructure. Examples are given showing potential cost savings of 18-25% for county councils through a shared network compared to individual private circuits.

1. Network sharing initiatives:
Benefits and barriers
Richard Brandon
Head of Strategy
MLL Telecom
www.mlltelecom.com

2. Who are MLL Telecom?
• Provider of Managed Telecoms
Services
• Operating since 1992
• Licensed Operator
• Own UK-wide Radio Spectrum
• 24x7 Network Operations Centre
• Provide parts of the UK’s largest
networks
www.mlltelecom.com

3. What does MLL Telecom do?
• Managed community networks
– Copper, Fibre, Wireless, Switching
• Wireless networks
– point-to-point
– point-to-multipoint
• WiMAX networks
• Managed Routers/Switches
www.mlltelecom.com

4. Who do we do it for?
Local
Telecoms Blue Light Healthcare Authorities
Enterprise
and Utilities
Education
www.mlltelecom.com

5. Networks critical to the shared services agenda
Network for the
Community
Education, Digital inclusion,
Healthcare, Economic development,
environment
Shared platform
For processes, data and applications
Cost reduction
www.mlltelecom.com

6. Who stands to benefit?
• County, District and Borough Councils
• Schools and Further Education
• Healthcare
• Police and emergency services
• Local communities
• Third sector (charity workers)
• New and transforming businesses
www.mlltelecom.com

7. Education
• Enables effective use of Learning Platforms
– Content and usage doubling every 18months
– More personalised Learning
– Students moving from consumers to collaborators
• Equal access for disadvantaged students
• Enables multiple use of facilities e.g. for adult
education
• Meeting BSF guidelines
On Broadband in schools:
“… We've got evidence that shows that it is probably worth half a grade at
GCSE difference, if you have access to (on-line) resources…”
Neil McLean, Executive director of Becta
www.mlltelecom.com

8. Environment
• Network consolidation reduces carbon
impact
• Enables flexible working to reduce
council employees’ business travel
and commuting
www.mlltelecom.com

9. Digital Inclusion
• Platform for broadband in disadvantaged areas
– Often those people who use most council services
• Platform to target broadband ‘notspots’
– Local business stimulus
– Develops rural IT-dependant businesses
– Attracts and retains businesses, jobs and skills
“We need to ensure that EVERYONE has access to high speed
Internet if we're all to compete on a "level playing field".
Federation of Small Businesses
www.mlltelecom.com

10. Care Closer to Home
• Connect local people to deliver collaborative
solutions
– Social workers, health workers, security workers
• Platform for delivering care in the home
www.mlltelecom.com

11. Network Sharing – so where are we?
Network Sharing Initiatives
100.0%
90.0% 1-3
22.5%
80.0% Years
70.0%
Network for the
60.0%
Community
50.0% Now
40.0% 70.0%
30.0% Shared platform
20.0%
10.0% 7.5%
Cost reduction
0.0%
Initiatives Under Way or No plans
Planned
Source: Primary research amongst SOCITM members by MLL Telecom, October 2009
www.mlltelecom.com

12. What are the concerns?
Main Barriers to Sharing Initiatives
Fair use concerns 15.4%
Security Concerns 77.0%
0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% 70.0% 80.0% 90.0%
www.mlltelecom.com

13. What are people doing to help?
Network Supplier Proposals
15.0%
Cost saving proposed
Cost savings not proposed
85.0%
www.mlltelecom.com

14. Security and assurance concerns
• Today restricted data usually sent over private
network
• Shared networks can provide connectivity to GCSX
(Government Secure eXtranet) for sensitive data
• Shared networks can prioritise traffic types
• However;
• Any shared network solution MUST assure complete
privacy of restricted data from other community
groups
• In state of emergency certain user groups MUST be
given assured use of limited network capacity
www.mlltelecom.com

15. The shared network dilemma
Low Cost
Private Shared
Trust
Networks Community Flexible
Network
Trust
– Availability
– Privacy
– Security
– Bandwidth assurance
Public
Networks
Low cost
High flexibility
www.mlltelecom.com

16. How to build a shared community network
Council Health
Police
• Low Cost
• Flexible
School • Trust
– Availability
School
– Privacy
– Security
– Bandwidth assurance
Police
Health Council
www.mlltelecom.com

17. Each shared service needs its own connectivity
But what’s inside
the cloud?
www.mlltelecom.com

18. Inside the reality of a public network
Traffic engineering
under fault conditions
impossible to predict
Core capacity
shared amongst LE LE Availability
unknown users restricted by
public service
LE LE deployment
www.mlltelecom.com

19. Inside the reality of a private network Multiple redundant
fibres into same site
Multiple CPE ports
Multiple fibres in
££
common duct – £
£
single point of
failure Moving a core site is
LE LE
costly and complex
Traffic
‘trombones’ in LE LE
and out of core £
£
access links ££
www.mlltelecom.com

20. Inside a shared community network
Less fibres used
can lower cost
Simpler CPE
Less single £
points of failure Flexible topology
LE LE
Dedicated changes
Switched
Optimum traffic Core
LE LE
routing
£
www.mlltelecom.com

21. And benefit from customised design Local Loop
Unbundling lowers
costs
Wireless for resilience or Optimise costs with
reach microwave radio
LE LE
LE LE
www.mlltelecom.com

22. Map encrypted tunnels
directly into MPLS to
Delivering Security assure QoS
GCSX
MPLS provides complete LE LE
traffic separation
between community user
groups LE LE Secure Interconnect
to GCSX
Common Criteria Certified
premise equipment encrypts
restricted data for added
security
www.mlltelecom.com

23. Delivering Assurance
• MPLS Traffic engineering can ‘reserve’ minimum bandwidth for a
class of user
• All the bandwidth is available when there is no congestion
• Profile can be changed under network fault conditions if desired
• Multiple levels of QoS (Quality of Service) available per user – eg for
voice, video, client-server, browsing…
Encrypted MPLS LSP 1
MPLS LSP 2
www.mlltelecom.com

24. Delivering Customised Benefits
• Customised traffic prioritisation policy
– By application
– By site
– By user or groups of users
• Flexible Bandwidth
• Option to integrate WiMAX and xDSL access
• Multicast for video broadcast
– Staff briefings
– News
– Training and lessons
– We recommend use of Next Gen Multicast VPN (NG-MVPN) proptocol within the core ) as it provides better integration with
MPLS than PIM (Protocol Independent Multicast)
• Direct Connections to other Govmnt Networks – JANET, GSCX…
• Option to host content, applications, firewalls in core
www.mlltelecom.com

25. Delivering Availability
• House equipment in a secure
exchange environment where
possible
– Redundant access circuit risk
– Allows access for planned works out-of-
hours
• MPLS core
– fast re-route
– Simplified routing topology = more stable
network
• Use 24x7 proactive management
www.mlltelecom.com

26. Example – East Sussex County Council’s NGN
• 1Gbit resilient fibre core
• 150 Schools connected by radio at 10-
100MBit/s
• Other schools connected on fibre
• Council offices ready to benefit from cost
advantage of existing community network
www.mlltelecom.com

27. Example - North West County Council
• 9 site 1GBit/s resilient core
• 180 Access sites connected at 100MBit/s
• 5 Year Pricing
• BT Ethernet Circuits* - £6.111M
• MLL Switched Core Network* - £5.021M
• Saving of 18%
• And it’s more resilient, more flexible and
lowers CPE costs
* Based on standard MLL Telecom pricing of BT circuits
* Both designs subject to similar BT excess construction charges
www.mlltelecom.com

28. Example – East of England County Council
• 500 Schools connected at 10 - 40MBit/s
• 150 Council offices connected at 100Mbit/s
• 5 Year Pricing
• Initial Project Pricing £20M*
• MLL Private Switched Network £15M*
• Saving of 25%
* Both designs subject to similar BT excess construction charges
www.mlltelecom.com

29. Shared Community Networks
Council Health
Police
Private Shared
Trust
Network Community
Network
School •Low Cost
•Flexibility School
•Trust
Public
Network
Lower cost Police
Health Council
www.mlltelecom.com

30. Thank you
www.mlltelecom.com