Trends in Private Networks for Mission-Critical Industries
Industries such as oil and gas, transportation, electrical utilities, national security, and government have continued to automate their processes and functions to keep pace with the competition. This has created a need for customized operational networks that deliver reliability and broadband speeds better than those provided by traditional carriers.
In the past, private operational networks were limited to a single location. However, these operational networks have expanded in their capabilities and potential. Many organizations have been successful in implementing high-speed networks at multiple locations, covering the entirety of their operations.
Additionally, there has been a broad acceptance of carrier-grade IP/MPLS, a method of directing data based on labels (or packets) instead of network addresses. This allows for the creation of end-to-end circuits across any transport medium, including microwave links.
Microwave Solutions for Industrial Communications
The communications networks for industry face a number of demands in terms of reliability, stability, and response times. These networks carry mission-critical communications and play an essential role in the operation of our critical infrastructure. Power grids, pipelines, railways, air traffic control towers, national security, and emergency services rely on these networks to maintain their operations.
When data is slow or your organization suffers an outage, you not only stand to lose money, but this jeopardizes our national security and economic well-being. Many telecommunications networks today deploy ring or mesh networks that offer failover protection or redundant pathways for such situations.
The majority of optical transport solutions support ring (or dual-ring) and advanced mesh infrastructure.
Microwave networks have not traditionally played an important role in the development of these networks. But recent developments in packet-based microwave solutions have changed the game. At Infinity Technology Solutions, we have designed and implemented IP/MPLS routing solutions for American defense industries, railways, utilities, and more. Nokia’s state-of-the-art packet microwave solutions deliver the performance required by these private networks.
Microwave Networks for Connecting Your Sites
Industrial networks provide the key to your organization’s survival. Due to intense regulations, many organizations are reluctant to outsource the transport function of their networks to outside vendors.
Lacking the ability to use transportation infrastructure as a right of way, for many organizations, microwave transport is the best way to connect dispersed sites. In many cases, even those industries such as transportation and electrical utilities that have right-of-way infrastructure rely on microwave solutions to achieve reliable, always-on connectivity.
One might think that fiber would be a viable solution, but in the industries mentioned above, geography and other factors make such a solution impossible. Microwave is the best alternative when you need reliable and secure broadband at multiple locations throughout your organization.
Microwave is also the most cost-effective solution. When you factor in the speed of deployment and overall capital expenditure (CAPEX), microwave networks make the most sense for industries that need to connect multiple sites. Lastly, your organization may have to comply with local regulations that require another transport medium. In this case, microwave offers the most sensible, easy-to-deploy, and cost-effective choice to protect necessary critical infrastructure from costly and dangerous outages.
Microwave transport has become a fixture in industry network infrastructure, either as the primary regional infrastructure or as a complement to fiber.
IP/MPLS Protocols for Microwave Transport
Microwave was originally developed as a point-to-point transport system. In this case, network reliability is assured by optical products for regional infrastructure. However, now that IP/MPLS has become the best solution for industry operational networks, you need a new transport answer to replace outdated microwave and optical technologies.
Nokia’s development of a packet microwave solution does much more than replace traditional point-to-point microwave transport. In fact, microwave transport will play a critical role in the emergence of 5G. Modern microwave networks for industry operational networks offer the following advantages.
- Supports strict QoS mandates for operational traffic. Packet microwave transports both your operational traffic and critical service traffic between sites. If natural elements conspire to degrade the air interface, microwave networks instantaneously shift to a less complex code. At a lower channel speed, mission-critical traffic still finds its way through with the necessary QoS, performance and reliability. Your microwave solution will momentarily limit less critical network traffic.
- The ability to support ring networks. Most operational networks are constructed using a ring or double ring. Infinity’s packet microwave solutions support rings without the need to purchase additional equipment. Packet microwave will transmit in one direction before quickly switching (in less than 50ms) in the case of network failure.
- The same security as the best carrier microwave systems. Nokia’s microwave transport solution possesses a 1+1 redundancy per radio link. Their microwave networks have features such as 2X (1+1), lightning-fast rerouting, and Ethernet ring protection.
- A lower total cost of ownership (TCO) and a smaller physical footprint.
For each function in your IP/MPLS-based microwave regional architecture, you will need carrier-class routers at the core of your infrastructure and a carrier-grade packet microwave solution compatible with ring network architecture.
While microwave transport networks were developed to support current operations, they can be leveraged to carry the expanding volume of your organization’s traffic. Traffic management is essential to support your communications and critical infrastructure.
The Nokia 9500 Microwave Packet Radio
The Nokia 9500 MPR is the perfect solution for industry operational networks that support carrier-class infrastructure. The 9500 gives you the highest bit rate thanks to its optimized encoding techniques, falling back to simpler algorithms to ensure the delivery of data in poor weather conditions.
Additionally, the Nokia 9500 MPR was purposely designed for compatibility with ring networks, including fast swap-over when a network failure occurs. You can lower your costs for this microwave transport solution by deploying antennas and using the same radio for all your microwave applications (split-mount, full-outdoor).
Finally, the 9500 MPR supports IP/MPLS over microwave through a seamless connection with the Nokia 7705 Service Aggregation Router (SAR). Combining the Nokia 9500 with the Nokia 7705 SAR—a carrier-class, multiprotocol IP router—offers even more benefits.
When you introduce a single solution for network management for both carrier-class IP and microwave, you save significant money. The Nokia 9500 MPR-e, which is the more cost-effective microwave transport system, enables you to connect directly to the 7705 SAR, giving you complete multiprotocol access. The Nokia 7705 SAR has been recognized as the “best router for industry vertical operational networks.”
The Nokia 9500 Microwave Packet Radio is the best solution for industrial operational networks, but it can also be leveraged to serve a number of other functions such as:
- Connecting oil platforms and replacing outdated satellite communications
- Serving the power utilities in the distribution of electricity
- Acting as the transport pillar for TETRA and LTE national security networks
- Assisting border control agencies and other security initiatives
- Acting as the transport solution for air traffic control and radar systems
Infinity Technology for Microwave Transport
At Infinity Technology Solutions, we specialize in both IP-MPLS for better network flow and speed. We also possess expertise in microwave transport solutions. With the full portfolio of Nokia’s catalog, discover how we can enhance your industry operations network.
