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Green technology in freight: is it moving forwards?

This report was created by UK dedicated internet access provider and transport and logistics telecoms specialists, Neos Networks. If using data or other material from the report, please do so with the appropriate credit with a link to this report page.

According to the Department of Transport, the freight and logistics sector is ‘critical to our economic wellbeing, ensuring the flow of goods along our supply chains is reliable and efficient’. In 2019 alone, 154 billion tonne-kilometres (tkm) of UK domestic freight goods were transported by road, compared with just 25 billion tkm by ship, and 17 billion tkm by train.

There is, however, a downside to this. In 2020, HGVs and light vans were responsible for 19% (18.6 Mt CO2e) of the UK’s total domestic transport greenhouse gas emissions (98.8 Mt CO2e). Transport (including passenger transport) causes more emissions than any other: it’s responsible for 24% of all greenhouse gas emissions in the UK. So it’s not surprising that at last year’s COP26, the logistics industry was a key focus for decarbonisation targets.

In July 2021, the UK government released the Decarbonising Transport plan. Setting out aims for delivering a zero-emission freight and logistics sector, it states:

“Decarbonising the last mile will create cleaner, more liveable places and there is scope for greater use of artificial intelligence and data tools in the freight sector. This could improve efficiency and cut emissions, particularly for the many small operators in a fragmented industry. "

In June 2022, the government’s Future of freight report outlined the role of technology and data-enabled opportunities in improving the efficiency, reliability, resilience and environmental sustainability of the sector.

In the wake of these two important reports – and to better understand the green tech freight landscape – we asked UK transport and logistics (T&L) operators:

  • Whether they’re implementing the decarbonisation targets into current operations
  • What barriers they experience in meeting decarbonisation targets
  • What they need to reach these targets
  • What role real-time data could play in achieving decarbonisation targets in the near future

Key findings:

  • Industry action — More than two-thirds (68%) of T&L companies have taken steps towards green tech since the Decarbonising Transport report
  • Going green — Over half (55%) of UK T&L firms will take measures to decarbonise fleets by 2024
  • Data is key — 55% of UK T&L firms say greenhouse gas and carbon data tracking is a core part of decarbonisation plans, over the next two years
  • Capacity is a challenge — A third (35%) who can’t use data to reduce carbon don’t have the core connectivity to share large amounts of primary supply chain data
  • Long-term goals in question — 45% of T&L companies don’t believe they’ll hit the ‘net-zero by 2050’ pledge
  • Convincing needed — 45% of companies don’t see battery electric vehicles (BEVs) as currently commercially viable, while 68% feel the same way about AI and data learning
  • Investment squeeze — three in five operators (61%) say the high cost of investment is the biggest barrier to achieving targets

One year on: how many companies have taken steps in a greener direction?

A year after the government released the Decarbonising Transport plan, what steps has the industry taken to lessen its impact on the environment?

More than two-thirds (68%) of transport & logistics companies have adopted emission-reducing technologies, prepared steps towards taking green measures, or held consultations around putting plans in place.

By contrast, almost a third (32%) of T&L firms haven’t made any moves at all towards emission reductions.

There’s an urban/rural gap, which surprisingly reveals urban firms are less likely to be making efforts to cut emissions. Some 36% of companies in towns and cities have made no attempts to make operations greener.

Outside of urban areas, only one in five (20%) T&L firms haven’t taken action, meaning that 80% of companies are trying to reduce emissions, or heading in that direction.

Levels of green activity also differ according to company size. Enterprise-level organisations are most likely to be environmentally friendly, with 77% of them on the path towards becoming greener. Two-thirds (67%) of SMEs are also on that path, while large companies are slightly less likely (60%) to be making emission-cutting moves.

Is sustainability on the short-term agenda?

With an uncertain economic climate in the UK, how much are T&L companies looking towards the future? And if they are, where does their focus lie?

It’s clear that many T&L firms are prioritising green/decarbonisation initiatives over the next two years. If all goes to plan, by 2024 we should see significantly reduced carbon emissions from the sector, with more than half (55%) of UK T&L operators actively seeking to decarbonise their service/fleet. While 52% of companies are making preparations to do the same.

Using data can greatly speed up the process, and 55% of UK companies are including greenhouse gas and carbon data tracking in their immediate plans. In addition, 45% of companies plan to adopt smart tech, data learning, AI or other technologies for greater operational efficiency.

A drive for efficiency is proving more popular among T&L operators than expansion plans. Almost 50% more operators are seeking to reduce emissions or decarbonise than those looking to expand in the UK. When it comes to expanding outside of the UK, green initiatives are over three times (240%) more common as a short-term goal.

For all the attention devoted to becoming more efficient, however, only a quarter (26%) of firms are planning to recruit tech experts to optimise their business. This implies that there will be a surge in demand for outsourced data analysis and tech troubleshooting.

What approach does the industry favour for reducing carbon-emissions?

For decarbonisation technologies and policies to achieve widespread uptake, the industry must believe in their commercial viability. However, our research highlights a lack of consensus on the best way forward, which makes it more difficult to implement change.

94% of T&L companies plan to adopt one or more solutions for reducing carbon emissions, in line with the UK government’s Decarbonising Transport plan, taking steps to improve fleet efficiency in the next five years or so.

For most of these companies, the most commercially viable solution involves a combination of alternative fuels – notably battery electric vehicles (BEVs) – and digital systems such as smart tech, AI and data learning. Twice as many firms believe BEVs are commercially viable as believe alternative fuels can represent a solution.

Those companies hoping to use smart tech and real-time data to become greener will need to invest in core connectivity, which government incentives can encourage. Technology development for proof of concept return on investment can also drive greater adoption of green initiatives.

How important is core connectivity to decarbonisation success?

By investing in core connectivity, companies will acquire the capacity to collect and process the real-time data needed for smart technology and the integrated tech of the future. Both smart tech and findings from data will contribute to increased efficiency and decarbonisation.

As reported in the Neos Networks ‘Core connectivity: The key enabler of digital transformation’ ebook, under-resourcing connectivity and networking is linked with less successful digital transformation projects. Conversely, organisations which budget for connectivity properly are much more likely to deliver highly successful digital transformation programmes.

The research shows that where more than 20% of the budget for digital transformation projects is allocated to connectivity and networking, 38% of companies rated the outcome of the project ‘highly successful’. By contrast, projects with 10% or less dedicated to connectivity and networking were unsuccessful in 62% of cases.

Does the size of the company influence the green solution?

Our research shows that the use of AI and data learning is universally favoured as a solution for decarbonisation by firms of all sizes. When it comes to other options, however, companies of different sizes have differing opinions.

SMEs:

Smaller businesses are nearly twice as likely (42%) to see industry-wide sharing of real-time data (throughout the supply chain) as a feasible way to reduce emissions. This shows, perhaps, their eagerness to embrace a cost-effective method.

When it comes to alternative fuel types, BEVs are most popular among SMEs, with 58% seeing them as a real way forward. SMEs are also more likely than other businesses to back alternative fuels like liquefied natural gas (LNG), compressed natural gas (CNG), bioLNG and biodiesel.

Enterprise-size companies:

In contrast to SMEs and enterprise-size firms don’t see liquefied natural gas (LNG), compressed natural gas (CNG), bioLNG and biodiesel as a realistic option: just 8% state they’re a commercially viable solution. Enterprise-level companies support BEVs as the most viable solution (38%), followed closely by fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs).

What does the industry think of meeting net-zero targets by 2050?

To meet the net-zero by 2050 target, it’s clear that the transport and logistics industry will need more technology, greater industry buy-in and assistance in the form of government policy.

Given the efforts required, how many companies are confident that the target is realistic?

The industry is split on this question, indicating that more work is needed to galvanise operators. Just over half of the UK’s T&L companies think they can meet government decarbonisation targets by 2050.

Companies with greater resources are more confident: 64% of enterprise-level companies believe they can meet the target, compared to 45% of SMEs.

What obstacles to this are operators experiencing?

Before motivated organisations can get anywhere close to reaching net-zero targets, they must first identify the factors preventing them from adopting a greener way of operating.

  • Three in five operators (61%) say high investment costs are seen as the most common barrier to achieving targets.
  • Almost twice as many firms cited cost as a barrier than the next factor on the list (with 35%): a lack of industry tech knowledge or shippers favouring low costs over green operations.
  • A quarter (26%) stated a lack of national fuelling and service infrastructure was an issue, which obviously needs government intervention.

Which sectors are supporting green changes in freight?

With a third (35%) of T&L companies being deterred from decarbonisation by shippers who pressure them to run cheap operations, it’s clearly a common issue. Even if firms are eager to become greener, they must strike a balance between remaining commercially competitive and investing in emission reduction.

T&L customers obviously influence companies’ policies, yet nearly a quarter (23%) of companies can’t identify a single industry in their supply chain that’s pushing for greener practices.

The data divide: Where smart systems, data and connectivity meet net-zero emission targets

Our report shows that T&L companies recognise that collecting and acting on real-time data can reap great sustainability benefits, helping them take steps towards net-zero targets. The data can be used to aid smart tech, AI and, of course, data learning.

Although more than half (52%) of the industry can access the necessary data, there’s some way to go before we see a totally data-connected industry. As it stands, almost half of the companies in T&L are not utilising greenhouse gas / carbon emissions data to clean their operations up.

There’s even further to go in rural areas, where 6 in 10 companies can’t use such data. Even if companies like this are trying to go greener, they might be doing it in an ineffective way. They need greater investment to level-up their data-collecting and reporting capabilities.

How many transport and logistics companies use real time data to its full potential?

Over half of T&L companies have the ability to collect and report on real-time data on greenhouse gas and/or carbon emissions. Yet how many can use this data to actively reduce their carbon emissions?

Even among the 52% of companies who can access accurate and up-to-the-minute data, just 71% of them feel confident using the data to improve operations. Just under a half (42%) use it to become more efficient, while 29% employ it to boost customer service levels.

As we’ve mentioned, core connectivity has a great bearing on data-gathering capabilities. Of those firms unable to use data to make practices greener, one in three (35%) say inadequate capacity or core connectivity is stopping them from sharing large amounts of data. Around a fifth (19%) can’t share more significant amounts of data and don’t plan on remedying that situation in the next year. This is clearly an issue when it comes to implementing smart tech, which is a key strategy for decarbonisation.

Smaller numbers of companies say they either don’t see the value in sharing data or have security concerns, but the vast majority are willing to embrace the concept – some just need a helping hand.

Other companies are trying to embrace data use and smart tech, but are finding roadblocks in the way. So what are the most serious barriers they’re coming up against?

What challenges do companies have to overcome in adopting smart data?

Whether or not companies can collect data that can be used to reduce carbon emissions, what do they see as the main challenges for using real-time data in green initiatives?

With over a third (39%) of firms citing a lack of government support, the message to government is loud and clear: more investment is required to move towards net-zero in 2050. Around a quarter (23%) also say their own funding is insufficient.

Over a quarter (26%) point to a lack of tech-skilled employees, which would mean that even if they can process the data from a technical viewpoint, they couldn’t achieve it without extra personnel on board.

Almost that number (23%) of companies simply feel that the type of data produced doesn’t meet the needs of the T&L industry, which could be something that awareness campaigns might remedy.

Do views change with company size?

SMEs:

Understandably, SMEs identify a lack of tech-skilled employees as an issue. Not all companies have the kind of resources needed, with 36% of SMEs saying they don’t have the required people on board.

Funding is another significant barrier for SMEs, with 18% stating they have insufficient funds for investing in smart tech and data – and more than a quarter (27%) wanted more help from government.

Large / enterprise companies:

Even with larger companies, insufficient government funding was an issue: 39% said more was needed if they were to adopt efficiency-enhancing tech. Of course, another factor for the government to consider is that larger organisations will obviously require more funding than SMEs.

The amount of data for processing is also more of an issue for larger companies – and one in five (21%) say they don’t have the tech and core connectivity to handle the data.

Conclusion

Many T&L companies are willing to invest in decarbonisation and have already acted since the government's Decarbonising Transport plan was released in 2021.

In the medium term, however, a large proportion of companies remain sceptical about the commercial viability of the technologies currently available. For example, 68% feel that AI and data learning aren’t commercially viable green solutions. The industry is also split on whether the net-zero goal by 2050 is achievable. Overall, there is more work needed to convince the market.

As well as government placing more emphasis on the tech – and more funding behind it – stakeholders such as consumers and T&L customers can exert more pressure to accelerate decarbonisation.

However, before the industry races towards a tech-led green revolution, companies must consider the role of data. To implement smart technology and benefit from real-time data, they need systems that can handle the amount of data. This is where core connectivity infrastructure comes in, laying the foundations upon which decarbonisation can progress.

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Blue Planet: enhancing customer experience through automation

Chief Technology and Information Officer, Chris Voudouris, Neos Networks

At a time when many of the processes in our day-to-day lives are automated and digitised, it’s crucial that industries embrace and emulate this sought-after approach. Consumers have come to expect more from the businesses they work with, and speed, efficiency and ease of use are key.

In collaboration with Blue Planet (part of Ciena Networks) and Cerillion, we at Neos Networks have completed a seismic transformation of our BSS/OSS platforms from quoting and ordering, to fulfilment processes and service orchestration, meeting the ever-growing customer demand for better efficiency and speeds.

Fundamentally, the programme has seen us simplify and automate our processes, improve customer experience, and increase orders, enhancing customer and team satisfaction. A key part of the programme involved implementing Blue Planet Orchestration platform (MDSO) bolstering the roll-out of automation of our Ethernet services across all elements of the process.

What did we set out to achieve?

Following an increase in demand for Ethernet services via our online pricing and ordering tool, LIVEQUOTE, we recognised the vital need to automate the entire customer journey and process - from order, to deployment, to fulfilment. This created the need for a new Software-Defined Network (SDN) solution with end-to-end orchestration.

What was the process?

The new solution was deployed in four stages:

Phase one: Three SDN controllers for Nokia, Infinera and Ciena across layers 1, 2 and 3 of the network were implemented

Phase two: Blue Planet Orchestrator deployed with Neos Networks developed resource adaptors allowing for P2P, P2NNI, P2Cloud and Ethernet service fulfilment

Phase three: Blue Planet Inventory solution developed and deployed providing analytical insight into passive, service and logical network data

Phase four: Cerillion (BSS) was layered on top of the Orchestration, creating a single ecosystem. New APIs were developed to allow better integration between all layers

The new solution inspires a new way of operating, moving from manual Command Line Interface (CLI) to a fully automated solution drastically decreasing on-net provisioning times and realising Neos Networks’ vision to develop a Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) capability.

This entirely new way of planning and managing the programme, following agile methodologies and a secure-by-design approach leveraging cloud, has laid the foundations for conversations around how to simplify assurance, provisioning, and management of new and existing services across the IT and network layers.

What challenges did we come across?

Neos Networks has organically grown throughout its 20+ year lifespan. This meant that entirely changing the architecture of the network wasn’t a possibility, and therefore required an extremely innovative approach. The MDSO and SDN had to overcome the hurdle of deploying new systems based on legacy architecture, which were not designed for automation.

Further challenges included the need to maintain security accreditations, minimising impact and disruption for customers, integrating multiple teams into a fusion working group and ensuring the project stayed within budget.

What was the outcome?

The new Blue Planet Orchestration/Inventory and Cerillion platforms will be fully implemented by the end of the year. The most significant successes from the programme are set to be felt by the overall business, our people, our partners and most importantly, our customers over the coming months. The key benefits include:

  • Enhanced customer experience and satisfaction - the process - from ordering to fulfilment - is an entirely digital experience. This streamlines the process, improving overall customer satisfaction. In addition, further innovation will provide a more complete customer journey and new product features and capabilities through a NaaS approach.
  • Reducing the need for repetitive tasks - the automation of the new process reduces the need for tasks of a repetitive nature to be carried out by our sales and engineering teams, allowing them to focus on delivering strategic improvements to the service.
  • Zero-touch provision of services - the project has laid the foundations for the overall BSS/OSS, allowing Neos Networks to move towards genuine zero-touch provision of services and continues to improve our services for our partners and customers.

To learn more about how you can benefit from our new, highly automated Ethernet services process, get in touch with our CTIO team.

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Leased line vs broadband: what's the difference?

Neos Networks

When it comes to choosing the right connectivity option for your business, the choices can seem endless. Broadband companies and leased line providers will both claim to provide businesses with high-speed internet connections, but when it comes to leased line vs broadband, which is better suited for your business?

If speed is your first concern, leased lines are faster. But other considerations - like the applications you use and the size of your network should also help inform your decision.

In this blog we’ll:

  • Explain what a leased line is and how it works
  • Compare leased lines vs broadband
  • Outline the steps to follow in order to set up your connection
  • Consider when to choose one instead of the other

What is a leased line and how does it work?

A leased line is a dedicated internet connection, that will ensure the speed and reliability of your connection will not be affected by other local users. This enables your operations to keep going, no matter what. Contrastingly, broadband connections are shared via the public internet - resulting in reduced throughput at busier times.

One of the great things about leased lines is that upload and download speeds are the same. This differs with broadband, where connections are typically variable, with fast download speeds offered alongside much slower upload speeds.

What are the differences between leased line vs broadband?

Leased line vs broadband: which should you choose? The following comparisons will help you make an informed decision.

Speeds

If your leased line package promises 30Mbps, that’s what you’ll get without exception. Broadband speeds, contrastingly, don’t always deliver to the capacity signed for and instead typically provide lower speeds than first advertised. This is because they don’t typically provide full throughput.

Why the disparity in speed between broadband vs leased lines? The latter has dedicated bandwidth plus symmetrical upload and download speeds. Meanwhile, broadband subscribers share their lines with other users. Sharing a line - otherwise known as contention - reduces connection speeds at busy times, even if you have Fibre to The Cabinet (FTTC) or an Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ASDL).

Latency

Do you get frustrated when an action takes too long to respond? Perhaps you’re downloading a time-critical document or need to access a video conferencing meeting. The delay you see is caused by high latency which is commonplace with broadband.

This might help you resolve the leased line vs broadband argument. A leased line is dedicated to your business, which means its latency will be lower. Unlike broadband, your provider will guarantee the latency connection that links your premises’ equipment and Internet Service Provider’s (ISP’s) data centre.

Scalability

The needs of your business may alter over time. To begin with, you may need less bandwidth because your premises are small and you employ fewer people. But as you scale, you’ll need the ability to purchase more bandwidth as and when required.

Likewise, there may be times when you need to scale your services down. For example, to reduce expenditure, condense operations or if you have a seasonal business that sees peaks and troughs throughout the year.

Continuing the broadband vs leased line comparison, the latter gives you more control – a benefit you’ll appreciate as your business needs change.

Reliability

Sometimes a connection can destabilise during an audio or video call. This can be frustrating, especially if you’re on a call to an important client.

This delay is sometimes referred to as jitter and adversely affects broadband users who suffer from connection drop-outs when using video-conferencing software.

With leased lines, communications work in real-time, resulting in more seamless communication, presenting your business in a stronger light.

 

Is a leased line better than broadband for your business?

Here are some further points to help inform your decision and what you should consider when choosing between broadband and a leased line:

1. Connection speed

Do your employees use video conferencing or need to send large files? If so, broadband upload speed is likely to be inadequate.

You can also buy packages from providers that prioritise business users during peak periods - avoiding issues commonly associated with contention, which can affect your productivity and profits.

2. Business needs

If you run a small business - with under ten employees using the internet to run queries and download files - broadband could be sufficient. If seamless access to cloud-based systems, video-conferencing software, and other online services is required, a leased line is best.

3. Service Level Agreements (SLAs)

Leased line connectivity providers frequently offer ‘Service Availability Guarantees’ or ‘Uptime Guarantees’ that promise service issues will be addressed within a specified timeframe.

Although some broadband providers offer similar guarantees, the majority don’t. And those that do, tend to have longer fix times. This could lead to prolonged downtime – an issue for businesses that need continuous service to remain profitable.

How to set up a leased line connection for your business

So, you’ve weighed up the pros and cons of leased lines vs broadband. If the former option is more appealing, you’ll be keen to know how to set up a connection for your business.

Once an order has been placed, the project will enter the planning and survey stage. This will involve your provider planning routes for fibre - or looking for evidence of it at your premises.

If no connection is present, then a new circuit will need to be provisioned. This might involve digging up local infrastructure in order to route fibre to your business premises.

In the event that a connection exists, your provider will simply install an antenna on the roof of your building - a process that can be completed quickly and with minimal disruption and once connected, away you go.

Taking the next step…

The starting point is to determine whether your broadband is causing issues. If it isn’t, ask yourself are you planning to: (i) acquire additional premises?; (ii) increase your workforce?; (iii) switch to cloud-based systems? If the answer to one or more of these questions is yes, switching to a leased line ahead of time before you encounter issues could be the right move for your business.

Broadband does come armed with a range of its own benefits. You can have static IP addresses for remote internet connections or to run CCTV - and even add email, cloud services, and recovery plans to your subscription when required.

However, if your business…

  • Is dependent on the internet because operations would cease completely without a continuous connection
  • Employs more than ten workers, including on-site and homeworking employees
  • Uses cloud-based applications and transfers large files frequently

…then a leased line is highly recommended.

 

Seeking a leased line solution?

When businesses need more than broadband, a leased line should form the next stage in your investigation. Contact one of our experts to find out why.

 

 

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What role does data play in the roll-out of smart cities?

We spoke to Daniel Clarke, Strategy Partnerships Manager at Connecting Cambridgeshire. Daniel developed the Smart Cambridge programme which included the development of a city data platform and deployment of sensors.

Smart cities promise to bring some truly remarkable opportunities to citizens across the UK. But to make a city truly smart, data must play a prevalent part. Sensors collect it, insights are gained from it and, ultimately, improvements to everyday lives come from it.

As AI comes of age and begins to make decision making and routine smart city management more efficient, data will become even more crucial.

But what part does data play in today’s smart cities and how can we make this easier access to information enrich our day-to-day (and business) lives?

The status quo

At this relatively early stage of smart city implementation in our societies, data is enabling local authorities to better understand the capabilities and applications of smart technology.

“Our primary role has been looking at how we can collect better, more granular data across the city.” says Daniel Clarke. “We’ve been examining how we can understand people's movements, whether that's transport movement, pedestrian movement or cycle movements. We’ve also been striving to gain a better understanding of energy usage and how power grids are performing.

“There's a whole range of data that we collect.” Clarke continues. “We're looking at things like real-time bus and train data. We also benefit from electric scooters and electric bikes, so we’re collecting that data too. We utilise all of this data to  to further develop our city, while enhancing the lives of its residents.”

In addition to the areas outlined above, Cambridgeshire are also now benefitting from live bus tracking for passengers, using sensors in bins to prompt waste collection and reducing congestion through traffic flow sensors – all of which are driving data-led improvements in the area.

Clarke elaborates on the benefits: “We’ve been using real-time transport data to build tools that make it easier for people to make sustainable travel choices around the city. For example, we built Motion Map to give residents better visibility of our transport system. It's about giving our people greater access to better information”.

Clarke continues: “We're beginning to look more and more at air quality data and how we can disseminate air quality data. We've also worked with a company called AppyParking, where we put parking data into their app to make sure that people can find parking whenever and wherever they need it.”

With innovations like these, it’s not just the amounts of data channelled that necessitate carrier-grade networks. The use of real-time data also dictates that low latency connections are a must.

Data that’s open for business

When we consider the prospects of smart cities in the UK, one greatly encouraging factor is that many local authorities and smart city organisations are committed to the concept of open data. Currently cities including London, Birmingham, Glasgow, Manchester, Bristol and Nottingham are leading the way.

From making citizens feel consulted, to accumulating greater quantities of data, and the potentially global sharing of ideas, this approach has many advantages for smart cities. It’s not difficult to see why Connecting Cambridge is employing a policy of open data.

Clarke outlines their set-up: “We make our data open through Cambridgeshire Insights, which is a data platform. It basically means that citizens are welcome to come and use our data, which they’re certainly taking advantage of. We also began to put that data into dashboards through tools like Power BI. This enables us to better visualise how data is used as a communication method.”

Making sense of the data noise

Collecting such vast quantities of data can potentially lead to a surplus of information, which could actually make interpretation and useful application more difficult. Connecting Cambridgeshire has recognised this as an issue and found a prestigious partner to help overcome it.

Clarke explains: “We've worked with the University of Cambridge to look at how we can better process and structure travel data, and how we can output that travel data into different digital tools. We’ve then worked with businesses in the area to understand what’s possible, where the commercial sector is going and how we can take our early stage pilots and trials and turn them into something more commercial.”

It’s absolutely vital that local authorities and smart city planners devise ways to package data to make it accessible to all and actionable. Clarke goes on to say: “The data gatekeepers must always have commercial value in their thoughts. Without any intrinsic commercial worth, a dataset becomes a fruitless endeavour”.

Another difficulty is the variety of systems used to collect information. To achieve a satisfactory degree of efficiency, solutions to this problem must be found.

Clarke continues: “One of the issues that we've come across is that it’s still quite a fragmented market. For example, if we put in a sensor to measure traffic movement, that sensor will come with a data platform and an air quality sensor will come with a separate data platform. This means that we end up with lots of sensors and lots of platforms. What we need is a centralised system to combine and analyse information more easily”.

“Over the last few years, we've started to move towards this ambition, building a data platform with the University of Cambridge at smartcambridge.org. This has allowed us to move data away from legacy systems, instead compiling it in one place.”

Levelling infrastructure up to deliver data

Many smart city technologies – particularly Internet of Things-powered innovations require 5G networks, which is one of the reasons more emphasis is being placed on smart cities, as 5G connectivity becomes a reality. However, in turn, 5G networks need far-reaching, reliable, high-speed fibre infrastructure to be able to power them.

Clarke spells this out: “I think fibre is the foundation on which smart cities are built. It is critical to their success. Simply, it supports everything from mobile connectivity to business processes”.

“As with everything in the smart cities domain, in order for our dreams to become a reality, we need to be much more collaborative in our approach both to planning fibre and ensuring that this fibre is going to the right places. Over the years, we’ve built a very collaborative relationship with fibre providers. As cities, we can enable the fibre footprint by doing things like putting ducting into all of our infrastructure schemes. To help increase fibre footprints, we support things like wayleaves, permits and licensing, to try and remove some of the barriers that fibre providers face when they come into a city.”

For local authorities to deliver on their smart cities promises, providing seamless, behind-the-scenes solutions to everyday living, they will need to ease the way for fibre providers, just as Cambridge has done.

One thing is for certain, data will continue to play a pivotal role in the development of smart cities. Operations will only become seamless when the underlying core connectivity is in place that will enable high-speed connections, capable of transmitting these previously outlined large volumes of data. A crucial first step to ensure ambitious smart cities plans succeed, is to ensure high-performance infrastructure is in place to handle massive – and constantly growing – quantities of data.

Neos Networks has helped a number of cities to become truly smart, supporting local authorities across the nation including Oxfordshire, Aberdeenshire and Perth and Kinross councils.

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Leased line vs FTTP: What's The Difference?

Neos Networks

When it comes to connectivity, it can be hard to navigate which service is best for your business. For example, a leased line could be better suited to a fast-growing company than Fibre To The Premise services (FTTP). Whether or not you should upgrade will depend on several factors, covered in this blog.

Read on to learn:

  • What FTTP and leased line actually means
  • How each works and their relative advantages
  • Which service to choose based on your business’s connectivity needs

What is FTTP and how does it work?

FTTP technology is a type of broadband service that is wired directly to residential or business premises using fibre optic cabling and can reach connectivity speeds up to 1Gbps, whilst Fibre To The Cabinet (FTTC) meanwhile routes optic cables into local cabinets - after which slower copper cabling takes over to route the connection to an individual premises, at speeds up to 100Gbps (but typically 80 Mbps).

Because FTTP uses pure fibre along the chosen route, it offers faster connectivity speeds than FTTC. This sounds promising - but you’ll still be sharing your line with other users. It’s worth bearing in mind that during busier periods, this could lead to slower connection speeds.

Alternatives to FTTP

The government aims to replace 85% of the UK’s decades-old copper network with full-fibre connectivity by 2025. This means that FTTC technology will be slowly phased out, in favour of faster and more dependable FTTP connections over the next few years.

So, what does the future look like? Another variation, Ethernet over Fibre To The Premise (EoFTTP) is now growing in popularity. It provides full-fibre end-to-end connectivity from the nearest exchange to a business's premises via a nearby street cabinet and can achieve average bandwidths of 330Mbps downstream and 220Mbps upstream. This is ideal for those who have come to rely on higher bandwidths and dedicated connectivity.

The government’s investment in a full-fibre future is welcome news, but EoFTTP’s price point could still prove challenging for small businesses used to the economical cost of shared broadband connections.

That being said, EoFTTP services are the closest you can get to a leased line without having to invest in your own dedicated full fibre connectivity. They offer greater capacity compared to the broadband counterpart, improved traffic prioritisation, and more robust Service Level Agreements (SLAs).

Now let’s refocus on FTTP technology vs leased lines. How does data travel when using an FTTP connection?

FTTP data contention – why it happens

  • The first port of call for the data will be via fibre cable, then into a node located near your premises
  • Next, your information travels through shared infrastructure until it hits the public internet
  • Your data - and data sent by other users - will then combine meaning bandwidth is shared

When comparing leased lines vs FTTP, the issue of contention matters. Contention is where users share your bandwidth, leading to slower connection speeds during peak usage periods. Where FTTP is contended, a leased line instead provides a dedicated fibre optic service that connects directly to a customer’s premises - bypassing the need to share infrastructure and boosting connection speeds.

But does data contention mean FTTP is unsuitable for businesses? The answer depends on various factors - like the size of your business, the applications it uses, and whether 24/7 internet connectivity is essential.

Should you choose FTTP over leased lines? To understand which is better we need to look at how leased lines work.

What is a leased line?

A leased line provides users with a fast private internet connection that links two or more locations and is delivered by dedicated fibre optic cabling. The circuit is reserved exclusively for the subscriber, avoiding the need to share bandwidth with other users. Also, the line is open 24/7 at both ends to facilitate continuous service.

Because leased lines spread bandwidth evenly across uploads and downloads, speeds are consistent across the spectrum. This synchronous connection is not achievable with standard broadband, which allocates most bandwidth to downloads.

FTTP vs. Leased Line: what are the differences?

Leased lines provides users with a fast private internet connection that links two or more locations. FTTP is wired directly to a residential home or business using fibre optic cabling. If you’re struggling to compare leased lines vs FTTP then the following can help guide you:

Download speed and bandwidth

With FTTP you can achieve a download speed of 1Gbps. Comparatively, leased line customers enjoy connection speeds of circa 10Gbps - a huge jump up.

As mentioned earlier, leased lines are symmetrical. This means the upload and download speeds are always identical. This isn’t the case with FTTP services which are asymmetrical and could be less reliable on either upload or download times.

Contention

FTTP subscribers must share their line with other users - a term referred to as contention. This results in much slower speeds during peak periods.

Meanwhile leased line users enjoy a dedicated connection 24/7, instead of having to share with up to 32 other users all competing for their share of bandwidth.

Reliability

Leased lines are closely monitored by service providers, meaning faults are spotted – and resolved – faster. This results in near-seamless connectivity that translates into less downtime.

FTTP connections aren’t as closely monitored, which is reflected in the lower cost. Therefore, faults aren’t picked up as quickly. Subscribers may wait days for an issue to be rectified, which is a problem if you run a business that requires round-the-clock connectivity.

Pricing and contracts

When weighing up the pros and cons of FTTP vs leased lines, you’ll have to take costs and contracts into consideration. Leased lines are pricier than FTTP – the latter being aimed at small to growing businesses and residential customers. For leased lines, construction work is sometimes needed to re-route a line to premises which is an additional factor that may affect the cost.

Contracts for FTTP range from 12-24 months. Leased line agreements are usually a minimum of 12-months but sometimes as long as 60-months.

Leased line vs FTTP - which is best for you?

Can your business afford prolonged periods of downtime? If days without an internet connection could jeopardise customer relationships and profits, a monitored leased line that’s faster to fix is best.

The size of your business and how its employees use the internet matters too. Do you employ 10 people or less? Do your teams use the internet infrequently and for basic tasks? If so, an FTTP service with variable connection speed will meet your requirements in full.

Price will determine which side you take in the FTTP vs leased line debate. Although leased lines are arguably better, this quality comes at a premium - so you should weigh the additional expense against long-term benefits.

Less downtime could prevent missed sales, protect customer relationships, and boost profits. So, you’d probably recoup the money you invested and more.

Still undecided and need some help?

Reach out to one of our experts. We’ll unpack the FTTP vs leased line debate further, so you can fully understand the benefits of each and make a more informed decision.

We also compare FTTP and FTTC in another article if you're looking for further insight.

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What is a Managed Service Provider?

Hiring a Managed Service Provider (MSP) could improve operational efficiency, giving your teams time to work on other tasks while reducing business connectivity costs.

In this guide, we’ll discuss:

  • The range of services MSPs offer
  • How partnering with a Managed Service Provider could benefit your business
  • Whether you should be outsourcing your connectivity

What is an MSP?

MSPs manage end-to-end user systems and IT infrastructure on behalf of businesses, charities, government bodies and more, on a third-party basis. They are known for providing a full suite of products and services that both complement each other and a business’ requirements.

They offer numerous services, including:

  • Application and networking
  • Infrastructure and security
  • Monitoring and management

While some specialise in specific sectors, others are service-led or prefer to focus on particular IT elements.

What does a Managed Service Provider do?

Businesses often look to an MSP for full support over their connectivity network. This might include email, help desk, cybersecurity, underlying infrastructure, telephony, VoIP requirements and more.

They can often assist with hardware and software acquisition too - providing insight into customer downtime, user behaviour, and technical issues.

What do managed services include?

MSPs offer their clients a range of connectivity and telephony options that can be delivered individually or as end-to-end solutions:

Outsourced IT management

Hiring full-time specialists exceeds most small businesses' budgets. MSPs can provide support as and when required (whether that be full time, or ad-hoc basis). They also often bring expertise of brand new, next-generation technologies and services.

Research and evaluation

Technology can be a barrier to business if not set up and managed correctly. MSPs shorten the learning curve and prevent wasted expenses by evaluating hardware, software and providers to ensure the right decisions are made when it comes to your connectivity and telephony.

Protection from cyberattacks

Whether you need to outsource completely or fill resource gaps during busier times, working with an MSP will cost-effectively ensure you’re protected around the clock. Your provider can also update antivirus software and network security to protect you from threats.

Your one-stop-shop solution

MSPs can handle all aspects of IT, providing a full suite of products to help your business meet its connectivity and technology goals. An added benefit is that you often pay one flat OPEX cost, instead of having to worry about additional expenditure - helping your business to budget more effectively.

What are the benefits of MSPs?

  1. Lower monthly repair and maintenance costs - because rolling retainers can work out cheaper than paying by the hour
  2. A one-stop-shop for all your connectivity needs, with a single point of contact
  3. Providing you have an agreed SLA document, your MSP is contracted to get you back up and running meeting pre-agreed SLAs in the event of a disaster
  4. Round-the-clock network monitoring and cloud management - giving your business 360° visibility
  5. The ability to scale by expanding your resources gradually, permanently or short-term
  6. Robust security measures that better protect your business from emerging threats

Should I use an MSP?

MSPs tailor end-to-end solutions by combining services from different providers into one package. Our dedicated price comparison tool helps them to achieve this, by making the comparison of providers and solutions for networking easier.

That being said, few providers cover every area of technology, so you may still need to support and manage certain applications (for example, your cloud connect service) internally.

Overall, however, by using an MSP you’ll get fast access to skilled experts who you can engage at short notice - making your business agile and reactive. And the sophisticated technology used by MSPs translates into better data insights and analytics too - so you can make more informed decisions.

Your next step

Would you prefer to outsource to an MSP or a network specialist with a proven track record of supporting UK businesses? Contact us to learn more about our products and services.

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The future of networks as telcos embrace cloud

Chris Voudouris, CTIO, Neos Networks

Telcos have been adopting cloud for a number of years, primarily to replace IT systems with Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions and also to host services for different applications. Furthermore, they are becoming increasingly reliant on the capabilities of Hyperscalers like Amazon, Google and Microsoft to facilitate agile development of their digital, AI and data services.

As telcos continue to transition towards 5G and fibre deployments, their focus is shifting in terms of what they can achieve with cloud on the service side. There’s huge demand for telcos to start developing and delivering services that capitalise on new capabilities like network slicing, and Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) offerings that address enterprise business needs through subscription models.

There is also huge potential for IoT and edge services across vertical industries as well, with distributed cloud architectures touted as key enablers of these use cases. Telcos are also now starting to use the cloud in the RAN, 5G core and they are increasingly focused on virtualizing network functions through technologies like Kubernetes. While this is all very promising for telcos, their greater dependency on the Hyperscalers across networks, services and IT creates the challenge of a deeper lock-in.

Creating the cloud fabric

Cloud adoption isn’t just a foregone conclusion for telcos. Vertical industries that deploy operational technologies previously implemented as hardware solutions are exploring cloud to achieve greater flexibility and cost efficiencies. In turn, this is shifting expectations amongst industry players in sectors such as healthcare, transport, manufacturing and financial services, for how solutions are delivered.

Telcos are eager to capitalise on this, expanding their solution portfolios with the aforementioned 5G and edge-enabled services to target new revenue streams. But with this comes a need for service providers to adopt long overdue open architectures and open software models. This is where initiatives on Open RAN and Open BNG start to receive attention and focus from the major telcos.

And yet, to maximise the potential of cloud (the delivery of interoperability, flexibility, automation and innovation) it must be seen as more than the traditional technology transformation. To achieve this, telcos can either look at cloud from a tactical or strategic perspective. Employing it tactically explores what capabilities and services can be moved to the cloud to improve operations and IT, but that leaves the telcos in the laps of the Hyperscalers. What telcos should instead consider is developing an overarching strategy that leverages the cloud and considers how it can deliver both business and technological transformation.

Cloud for business transformation allows business units to improve customer experience and rapidly develop new digital services and channels. Ultimately creating a cloud fabric that enables providers to innovate, launch digital operational improvements and facilitate the evolution of the network to meet new, elastic demand for connectivity and technology solutions.

Partnership vs competition

As part of that journey, it’s important to consider a multi-cloud approach to mitigate against cloud provider lock-in. There has been increased competition in the telecoms vertical from alternative service providers including Hyperscalers. There are, however, opportunities for partnerships between telcos and the cloud providers in areas such as 5G, edge and IoT, therefore striking this balance should be a key priority for telecoms businesses.

The risk is that some of the large integrated telcos will end up purely playing the role of infrastructure provider - the typical dump pipe scenario - with Hyperscalers orchestrating the ecosystem. To establish a strong position in the value proposition, telcos have to take NaaS further to capitalise on the variable consumption of connectivity. The telco needs to act as a marketplace, aggregating a variety of offerings: security, cloud connect features, connecting data centres to several cloud providers as well as core connectivity complemented by IoT and edge services. Finding that balance in collaboration and competition will be critical.

All this leads to the next stage for the market - the new battlefield of multi-cloud and distributed cloud. It’s prime real estate for telcos to orchestrate an ecosystem for businesses that connects them to a variety of cloud providers with technology solutions and services that are built to address very specific business needs. They can play a transparent and neutral role, shifting workloads between public, private and distributed cloud environments with flexibility and scalability to meet enterprise objectives. That flexibility in network services is not there today, so telcos must build a cloud fabric within their businesses that adopts a cloud strategy for both technology and business transformation.

By supporting a multi-cloud proposition in this way, telcos can establish real value in the ecosystem.

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How core connectivity can deliver a brighter digital future for the public sector

Joanne Green, Public Sector and Transport Sales Director, Neos Networks

Covid-19 changed everything about the way we work, with many believing the pandemic has accelerated digital transformation.

We recently conducted a survey to investigate the relationship between the level of attention paid to core connectivity and the extent of digital transformation success experienced by large UK organisations.

For the public sector in particular, the survey brought to light some interesting statistics with the research revealing that transforming digitally remains high on the agenda of many, with 65% of organisations stating it is important to their future strategy.

As one might expect with the public sector, this appears to be a strategy focused around bettering the lives of people. The research would suggest that this is being considered in two primary ways; through the improvement of internal processes which will make the working day easier for employees, and through the introduction of technological advancements designed to improve the lives of citizens.

The challenges facing the public sector in digital transformation

Government has a reputation for being slow to adopt change and our survey suggests that the public sector are taking a very measured approach to digital transformation, with 90% stating they have a roadmap in place to support their strategy. While this looks positive, greater internal inclusivity is an issue with just over half (53%) of public sector respondents suggesting their roadmap has been agreed across all departments within the organisation. This compares to almost three quarters (74%) of those organisations reporting highly successful digital transformation programmes ensuring the strategy was agreed across all departments.

Public sector organisations are focusing on three key areas:

With improving efficiency of the IT function and operations and increasing productivity as the key motivators, these are the same three focus areas adopted by those organisations reporting highly successful transformation programmes. This bodes well for the sector and suggests that the priorities do indeed surround the desire to ensure the underlying network infrastructure is robust and resilient enough to contend with future demands.

The 4 key issues for Digital Transformation by the public sector

  • Safety and risk:
    With so much emphasis on safety and risk, it’s no surprise that the biggest digital transformation challenge for the sector is information security. This undoubtedly will impact the level of pace and innovation afforded when trying to evolve digital estates.
  • Resource:
    Another common challenge was the extent to which internal IT teams are stretched, with plans suffering setbacks as a result of Covid-19. While most respondents, including those in the public sector, have suggested the outbreak accelerated transformation programmes, it is here that you are most likely to find an organisation that has experienced a reduction in the pace of roll-out also.
  • Connectivity:
    More than eight out of ten (84%) in the sector are plagued by slow lead times when implementing new technology solutions. It’s also the sector most likely to suggest it needs more help and advice regarding the optimal balance of connectivity performance versus cost, and the most likely to be uncertain about which connectivity technologies will be fit for purpose in the future.
  • Supportive telecoms providers:
    Just a fifth of respondents in the public sector stated they were happy with the advice provided by their current telecoms provider on which new technologies can help with digital transformation; a key differentiator between the sector and those businesses successfully progressing their digital transformation programmes.

Emulating organisations leading the way
Despite these challenges, public sector organisations are taking positive steps towards achieving success with their digital transformation programmes. The sector’s priority focus on adoption of cloud infrastructure and cloud applications is testament to this, given those succeeding in digital transformation are taking the same approach.

One of the most promising indicators of all however, is that almost six out of ten (58%) in the sector acknowledge their organisation is extremely reliant on the robustness and reliability of its connectivity solution – another common characteristic of those businesses reporting high levels of success with their digitisation processes.

That being said, the sector appears to be failing to attribute an appropriate amount of budget towards improving it. 43% of respondents within the public sector revealed that, at most, 20% of the IT budget would be spent on digital transformation with just under half of those respondents (48%) spending between 5% and 20% of that budget on connectivity. Furthermore, the public sector is likeliest of all to attribute less than 5% or in some cases even zero digital transformation budget to enhancing connectivity solutions.

Replicating a successful rollout
It’s important to gain a greater appreciation of exactly how the solutions implemented will add tangible value to the organisation. The majority of respondents demonstrated a lack of faith that their current digital transformation plans will address the connectivity challenges experienced. Those in organisations achieving high levels of success in digital transformation appear to show far more concern about the solutions they are implementing. This might suggest organisations in the public sector have too much blind faith in their digitisation plans, when in fact they should be doing more to comprehensively understand what they need and how it will deliver benefit, both immediately and in the future.

The level of visibility and control over the network has been key to highly successful organisations, with 90% recognising significant benefits of SD-WAN (Proactive management, better performance info., control of applications). This can be achieved with the latest WAN solutions, such as SD-WAN and IP-VPN, and should be considered by organisations in the public sector looking to achieve more in this regard.

Our research into the relationship between connectivity and digital transformation success highlighted much to consider. Ultimately, to maximise impact and demonstrate value, organisations in the public sector must re-consider their approach, their priorities, and the extent to which they are prepared to invest in improving connectivity solutions as part of their digital transformation programmes.

To find out more, read the full report, Digital transformation in the public sector: How core connectivity can deliver a brighter digital future for UK citizens

 

End note –

During the summer of 2021, Neos Networks partnered with B2B International to investigate the relationship between the level of attention paid to core connectivity and the extent of digital transformation success experienced by large UK organisations. By way of an independent survey, 247 respondents across a range of industries were interviewed in order to understand more about the attitudes and strategies around digital transformation, the challenges faced and what good looks like.

 

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Normalising anxiety: making the taboo commonplace

Kelly Billing, Head of Marketing at Neos Networks shares her experiences on Mental Health Awareness week

Over the last few years, mental health has become a hot topic. Friends, families and even businesses are recognising the impact that mental health can have on a person and are offering increased support.

And yet, when it comes to mental health, in particular anxiety, the subject can still feel taboo, especially to those living the experience.

It’s all very easy to say, “If you’re struggling, speak up”. But the reality is often not so simple. It can be daunting to tell someone that you’ve been battling internally with worries and anxieties. Then there are the additional concerns around telling your manager. By admitting how you feel, will you raise red flags over your ability to do your job? (It’s worth stating right now that no, this is not the case).

This fear has become ever more real for many as we start to return to offices more and more following over 18 months working in solitude.

What does anxiety feel like?

I wish I could answer that simply, but the truth is that anxiety comes in many forms. What for one might feel like butterflies in their tummy, for someone else could result in physical symptoms making them unwell. Common physical symptoms include; increased heart rate, hyperventilation, shaking, dizziness, increased headaches, pins and needles and sickness. I know this all too well having battled, and learnt to manage, anxiety over many years. I wanted to share my story to put out one simple message; you’re not alone and it’s ok to own – and even accept - your anxieties.

Where it all began

They say that mental health issues can start from one small act. In my case it was as simple as being homesick and encouraged (what I saw as forced) to eat breakfast on a middle school trip – yes, it goes back that far. Nothing much happened at that time, my parents picked me up at the end of the trip, I went home, and life returned to normal.

Years later – yes years – I went on another school trip, as a teenager and everything flooded back. I couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep and was hyperventilating and being sick daily. This started a battle in my head that has continued ever since, one that – for me – is very much linked to feeling out of control.

What followed were a very turbulent few years.

I lost a lot of weight…fast. Anxiety wasn’t understood in the early 90s, and so my classmates assumed that I had an eating disorder. I then became too scared to join in with everyday things – like going to class – and so had to take a large proportion of my lessons in the school library, alone. GCSEs came, and I also had to do these in solitude.

Around this time, it all came to a head. Luckily, thanks to a great and understanding doctor (and very concerned but patient parents), I was provided with the support required to help start my recovery. By the time I got to college I felt back to my old self and had a renewed sense of confidence. But this also made me acutely aware of how uneducated people are on anxiety and so I started to speak out about my experiences.

The present

Fast-forward to today and I’m lucky enough to have learnt how to manage my anxiety. This was by no means an easy feat, it involved hours of therapy (both talking to psychiatrists and participating in cognitive behavioural therapy), a lot of growing, learning and accepting of who I am and, for me, being able to confidentially and calmly talk about what I’m going through. That’s not to say I don’t have flare ups. We all do. But I now try to accept these as what they are – a blip to overcome in my day.

Did I tell Neos Networks and my manager about my anxiety? I never brought it up as a specific subject. For me it’s become such a part of my life that it came out naturally. And when it did, no-one batted an eyelid. Support was offered should I need it, but otherwise I’ve continued on and developed my career, regardless of my history of anxiety.

The moral of the story is this. Yes, it may seem petrifying to open up and be honest but (I promise) honesty really is the best policy. At Neos Networks we’re extremely lucky to, not only have a great support system in place, but to also have mental health first aiders we can confide in and, most importantly, a group of welcoming, accepting colleagues.

The importance of Mental Health Awareness

This years theme for Mental Health Awareness week is Loneliness. The Mental Health Foundation outline that one in four adults feel lonely some or all of the time and that, the longer we feel lonely, the more we are at risk of mental health problems. Some people are also at higher risk of feeling lonely than others. For Mental Health Awareness Week this year, the Foundation is raising awareness of the impact of loneliness on our mental health and the practical steps we can take to address it.

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International Girls in ICT Day

Girls in ICT Day

28 April 2022 is International Girls in ICT Day. The initiative was established by The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and is acknowledged in over 150 countries around the world. It celebrates girls and young women looking to pursue studies and careers in the technology sector.

At Neos Networks, we’re very proud of all the women who make up our company! Not only do we want to encourage girls to consider a career in ICT, we also feel it’s important to mark the day. With that in mind, we caught up with a number of our female employees to find out about their experiences getting into the sector and to see what advice they would give to those considering a career in ICT.

Diane Hill is Director of the Infrastructure Delivery & Cost Transformation Programme. She has a First-Class Honours Degree in Management Sciences, which was based on Technology and Science. This naturally led her to start her career in ICT as a graduate at BT.

“I initially started working as a Project Manager in the Payphones Business (I know that really ages me!), and then was chosen on a graduate high potential fast-track within BT, which involved me moving around the whole of the business getting exposure of many different types of technology and businesses. From the get-go, I was hooked on Telecoms, and haven’t looked back since!”

When asked what inspires her, Diane said “I am inspired by other’s attitude and their values in how they approach their day-to-day life. I believe that having strong and consistent integrity, values and behaviours in your professional life will not only make your time more fulfilling, it also has a positive impact on others around you.”

For girls looking to start a career in the ICT industry, Diane would advise that the most important thing is to ALWAYS be yourself!

She states, “Be fearless in your questions, never assume that because someone is more senior than you, you can’t question what their strategy is, the approach or suggest alternative ways to doing things.” 

Diane has faced challenges in her career in ICT but has always turned these into a positive. “When starting in Telecoms, I was the only female in both my graduate group and my business unit – and significantly younger than most of my project teams. However, I refused to let that define me. I actively decided to be myself, not accept that I was anything different and not accept being treated differently to my counterparts. It wasn’t always easy, but in choosing that mindset, I carved my career in the industry.”

 

Stacey Burge is a Project Management Office (PMO) analyst. She is involved in activities including supporting governance processes, as well as reporting and analysis. Stacey is also involved in various voluntary sub-groups within Neos Networks helping to improve our Environmental and Sustainability initiatives.

Stacey got into the industry by pulling together skills from previous experiences. Her professional focus has always been how we can operate more sustainably as a society. After her undergraduate degree, she sought work in many different areas to learn what part she could play in this. She went from working in flood prevention, waste and recycling, water retail services and then, more recently, moved into her current role in ICT. Each step opened the door to the next and she learned a lot about herself along the way.

When asked who inspires her, Stacey said “Firstly, the Head of Technology at Isle Utilities was my mentor in a previous role and secondly, the Director of Resilience at CPEX Louisiana, who was integral in my MSc research. They both provided me with the access, support and tools necessary in order to reach opportunities I never would have thought possible, including publishing academic work. This also led to projects that were outside my day job, giving me deeper technical skills, ultimately contributing to my now working in ICT. I plan to pay this forward as much as I can.”  

For girls looking to start a career in the ICT industry, Stacey would advise that when it comes to thinking about your future and choosing opportunities, it’s ok to have a change of heart from what you originally planned and risk stepping outside of your comfort zone to try something new.

“I think we can sometimes get bogged down with what we ‘should’ be doing, rather than what we simply want to do."

Stacey has also faced challenges in her career in ICT but has always turned these into a positive. She said “A challenge has been getting through the door and progressing with scarce technical expertise and little confidence. Instead of focussing on this, I’ve highlighted what I do have to offer and made an impact really demonstrating transferable skills which are vital, whatever industry you work in”

 

Kelly Billing is Head of Marketing and leads the marketing and campaigns team. Her role is to make sure that our brand is thoroughly represented in the marketplace and that when customers and prospects are looking for a business connectivity provider, Neos Networks is front of mind.

Kelly’s path into the ICT industry started with carrying out a degree in marketing and design. Following completion of this, she then got ‘the first job she could to pay the rent’ and found herself working in an engineering organisation as a Service Planner. Knowing her heart was in marketing, she opened up to her then-CEO and he agreed to allow her to pick up ad-hoc marketing tasks outside of working hours to better her knowledge. From here she moved into a technology-focused marketing agency, then moved in-house to a well-known communications company and, six years ago, joined the Neos Networks marketing team.

When asked if Kelly met any inspiring women along her career, she said

“I’ve met some amazingly inspirational women in my career, from my first manager in my first role in engineering who made it clear from the get-go that, while women don’t dominate our industry, that doesn’t mean they can’t gain a substantial spot at the table, to a number of women across my previous telecoms role and more recently at Neos Networks who inspire me every day with their industry knowledge, expertise and skills.

For girls looking to start a career in the ICT industry, Kelly would advise “don’t be put off by the fact the sector is still very male-dominant. The market is very much looking for new blood and new expertise, regardless of gender. The sector itself is hugely exciting with some real leading-tech changing the way that we all go about our lives (both in work and at home). It’s an ideal time to get involved.”

 

Lisa Miles is our Head of Service Management. Her role is to ensure that our customers are receiving the very highest standard of service and that we deliver a great customer experience every time.

Lisa started her career at Vodafone in 2000 working as a call centre agent, managing the mobile base for corporate clients. Back then mobile phones were really taking off and she found the fast pace of the industry exciting. It was here that she really developed her passion for people and customers. She progressed to Team Manager then Operations Manager and finally took the leap into Service Management. In 2015 we were lucky enough to have her join our ranks.

When asked who inspires her, Lisa said

“I don’t have an individual person that has inspired me however collectively I want to shout out to all of the working mums I have met during my career. Balancing full time work, managing children and day-to-day life can be tough, even more so during a pandemic when you add home schooling into the mix. It’s taken my organisational skills and tolerance to a whole new level.”

For girls looking to start a career in the ICT industry, Lisa would advise “Go for it! The ICT industry is no different to any other. If you are resilient, passionate about what you do and are focussed on achieving your goals, you can do anything.”

Lisa loves working in the ICT industry and sees a lot of positives. She didn’t have any challenges getting into the industry and although her direct peers are all male, she feels she is judged on her performance and skills and not her gender.

 

At Neos Networks, we’re really proud of the talent and skill that our employees bring to our business every day. Days like ‘International Girls in ICT’ really bring to the forefront the importance of bringing fresh, new talent to the industry. If you’re looking to develop your career in the sector, take a look at our Careers page and see if Neos Networks could be the right next step for you.

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PTSN Switch Off in 2025: Everything You Need to Know

The big public switched telephone network (PSTN) switch-off is imminent. As 2025 ends, this system – which is operated by BT – will be turned off forever.

The UK’s PSTN has been with us since 1876, routing phone calls to and from phones all over the country, using millions of miles of network cable. But there are now more efficient systems available, which is why the switch-off is happening.

In some countries, it’s already happened. The Netherlands and Estonia, for instance, have already seen PSTN lines phased out. Others, including Japan, Germany and Australia, have set dates for their own PSTN line switch-offs.

This means that individuals and businesses using PSTN-based telephony will need to upgrade their set-up to ensure they can continue communicating.

So, what options are available if you need to migrate before the PSTN switch off?

The alternative is hosted VoIP (voice over internet protocol): a digital service that allows users to make voice calls using a connected device via the internet.

In this guide, we’ll explain:

  • How PSTN works
  • How PSTN and ISDN differ
  • Why they’re both being switched off
  • The technology that’ll replace it
  • What you can do to get ready

If you still have questions afterwards, why not contact our team for further guidance?

What does PSTN stand for and mean?

PSTN is short for public switched telephone network. It’s a global system of telephone networks that use copper wires to transmit analogue voice data. But the equipment used to run it is old and expensive to maintain. That’s why providers like BT are investing in digital technology designed to better meet the needs of their customers.

But just what is a PSTN phone line?

PSTN phone lines are made of copper. They connect most UK homes and offices to cabinets on the street, which are then connected to local telephone exchanges.

It’s important to note that PSTN lines are dedicated. As a result, people can only use a PSTN phone line for one purpose at a time. This is why, in the early days of the internet in the 90s, households couldn’t use the internet and their landline phone at the same time.

How do PSTN phone lines work?

This is how the UK’s current system of PSTN lines works:

  • You pick the phone up and dial a number
  • A dedicated circuit is created between your phone and the phone you’re calling
  • When you speak, the sound waves are converted into electric signals
  • These signals are transported through telegraph lines (distribution points) to street cabinets (or primary connection points)
  • From there, the signals go to the telephone exchange (also known as a central office, switching office or network tandem)
  • Those signals are then relayed to the phone you’re calling and are converted back to sound waves

The rate of data transmission over PSTN lines is influenced by various factors, including the type of copper wire, distance covered and external conditions. 

The electromagnetic properties of copper can also interfere with the speed of transmission. As these phone lines were usually laid underground next to electrical cables, electromagnetic fields can occur and affect phone signals.

What are PSTN lines used for?

The main function of PSTN lines in the UK has been to connect phone calls. However, some other technologies also use the PSTN system and will need to be reconfigured after the PSTN switch-off. These include:

  • Fax machines
  • Electronic point of sale machines
  • Alarm systems for houses and businesses
  • CCTV
  • Door entry systems

What are the benefits of PSTN?

The PSTN system has served us well, particularly in places like the UK, where it’s been in use for over 150 years. There are several advantages that have contributed to its longevity:

  • Reliability – PSTN lines are generally stable, with voice distortion or call dropout rarely occurring
  • Security – dedicated lines make PSTN systems highly secure
  • Low maintenance – while business lines or a private branch exchange (PBX) cost more in upkeep, residential PSTN lines need very little maintenance. This is one reason the system has endured so long.
  • Always on – as the power supply is fed directly over the phone line from the exchange, it’s not affected by the building’s electricity supply

Ultimately, however, PSTN is an outdated system, overtaken by the digital world and new ways of living and working.

What are the disadvantages of using PSTN?

PSTN has been a trusty servant, but governments around the globe now recognise its time has come. In today’s world, holding onto a PSTN system would have various disadvantages:

  • Expensive set-up – between £6,000 and £10,000 for a 30-person business
  • Expensive calls – costly international and mobiles, compared to free VoIP-to-VoIP calls
  • Higher monthly costs – it can cost up to £50 per user each month
  • Integration – PSTN offers no possibility for software integration
  • Difficult to scale – extra hardware makes scaling up complex and costly
  • Outdated – PSTN is not supported over the internet 

What is a PSTN line fault?

Typically, a PSTN line fault occurs when the PSTN line fails to transmit the connection signal from its point of origin to its intended destination, or when the digital signal quality deteriorates. 

This scenario is becoming more and more common since the lines are now so old. In some cases, the copper wires are suffering corrosion after the protective rubber covering has degraded over time.

Whatever the cause, more frequent faults are resulting in more unpredictable service, higher maintenance costs and greater repair costs. The case for switching off PSTN is becoming more and more compelling.

What is the difference between PSTN and ISDN?

ISDN stands for integrated services digital network and has (alongside PSTN) been the primary form of communication for decades. PSTN uses a single line, while ISDN supports up to 30 lines over a digital transmission connection of up to 2Mbps.

This is how ISDN enables you to manage multiple calls across the same line at once, ideal if multiple people are on the phone in the same office. PSTN lines, however, don’t – and that’s a problem if you run a business. If customers can’t get through, they’ll give up and go elsewhere.

Although ISDN uses the PSTN network to operate, it’s completely digital. This means it can provide multiple lines and a host of other useful features, which can be scaled quickly, resulting in superior call quality and video. This makes it much easier and faster than old PSTN set-ups, where each line needs to be physically plugged in. So you may be surprised to hear ISDN is also nearing the end of its lifespan.

Why is ISDN being abolished? Like PSTN, it transmits data using copper wires that are expensive to maintain. This cost is then passed on to customers in the form of prohibitively expensive line rental packages.

What is the 2025 PSTN switch-off?

The PSTN switch off will happen in December 2025, but new orders will be stopped from two years prior. BT owns the service, which includes various Wholesale Line Rental (WLR) and ISDN products. These products are purchased by Communication Providers (CPs) who sell them under their own branding at regulated prices.

Here are the key points to remember:
1. The PSTN switch off will also affect ISDN lines. However, businesses can still purchase ISDN lines until 2023. But providers are encouraging their customers to invest in newer technologies instead - because purchasing ISDN equipment will become harder and support for it will rapidly decrease.
2. PSTN and ISDN are being replaced by fast fibre broadband. The cost of maintaining these seldom-used systems makes little sense when providers could use that money to invest in a faster and more efficient infrastructure that provides a better service for end-users.
3. The PSTN switch off is imminent. This means individuals and businesses using outdated legacy systems should speak to their providers and seek advice about the next best steps if they’re to avoid costly disruption and to keep up with competitors.
4. Phase one will occur in September 2023 when BT stops selling Wholesale Line Rental (WLR). WLR is a service that lets a Communication Provider (CP) use an operator’s service and sell it under its own branding. Finally, in December 2025, PSTN and ISDN will be switched off permanently.

What will replace PSTN?

The UK government has a target of equipping every home with gigabit broadband by 2030. By the time of the PSTN switch-off in December 2025, the government is aiming for 85% full-fibre coverage. Although there is still work to do, expect IP-driven services like VoIP to become the norm soon.

Our fast fibre future will see us communicate using internet-driven services like voice over internet protocol (VoIP). Also known as IP technology, VoIP doesn’t require a circuit-switched network. Instead, it sends voice data in chunks or packets, which makes it faster than the PSTN.

In addition, VoIP offers advanced, in-built features such as call forwarding, call waiting, caller ID, conference calling and voicemail.

PSTN vs. VoIP

Compared to PSTN, VoIP is cheaper, offers unlimited scalability, can be tailored to the needs of subscribers, and removes the need to change numbers when a business moves premises. Here are some of the biggest differences between the systems:

Price

Set-up and monthly costs are cheaper with VoIP. Plus, VoIP-to-VoIP calls are free.

Security

With VoIP, how secure your system is depends on the security of your internet connection. PSTN lines are extremely secure because they’re dedicated.

Scalability

Increasing the number of users is simple with VoIP. You can even do it instantly, in many cases. Extra hardware is required for upscaling PSTN lines.

Features

VoIP gives you more in-built features, including video calling, voicemail, click-to-call services on websites, recording services, messaging and presence information.

Power

Traditional corded landline phones – using PSTN – will work during a power outage, while VoIP relies upon an internet connection and won’t work.

What are the benefits of the PSTN switch-off?

The benefits of the switch-off are clear to see:

  • No more time or money spent supporting an outdated system
  • Opportunity to replace PSTN with a more modern, efficient system
  • Businesses get a future-proofed, scalable solution instead
  • Better integration will improve productivity
  • Everyday costs will fall
  • Voice calls are available over any device

How can your business prepare for the PSTN switch-off?

One thing is for certain: the PSTN and ISDN switch off will happen in December 2025 and the impact on unprepared businesses will be extensive.

If you rely on either or both of these legacy systems, you’ll need to take steps to prepare your business and avoid costly and disruptive problems later.

Here are three initial steps you can take:
1. Audit your telephony estate
Which (if any) areas of your business use PSTN or ISDN? This is especially important for businesses operating across multiple sites. Some premises may use fast fibre broadband - while others still rely on PSTN or ISDN technology.

Auditing your infrastructure will give you the bigger picture. When running your checks, don’t forget to include other systems, like alarms, which may also rely on PSTN or ISDN to function.

Finally, consider whether these systems can be adapted or need to be replaced entirely. Your provider will be able to help with these questions.

2. Check your internet speed
Even if your system is up-to-date, is it good enough? Fast fibre broadband is becoming the go-to choice for businesses worldwide which means investing in the latest technology is essential unless you want to fall behind your competitors. Additionally, cost of fibre services are largely competitive now, meaning your business could benefit from better performance for nearly the same rate.

3. Create a plan - check it often
It may not seem it, but December 2025 is imminent. Setting a plan in motion now will help you get ready for the PSTN switch off and avoid surprises. That doesn’t mean things are set in stone. Watch developments and adapt your plan to reflect changes before committing to a strategic decision.

4. Exploring the market
There are a variety of providers who can support you throughout this migration and help you select the best solution for your needs. The research and implementation process can take some time, so it’s worth starting this process well ahead of time to avoid any unnessecary business disruption.

Working with an experienced fibre network specialist will help ensure you make the right choices. Connect with one of our knowledgeable experts to discuss your circumstances so we can find a solution that best suits your needs.

How can we help?

We’re focused on ensuring our customers have the connectivity their business needs. Whether it’s Dark Fibre, Dedicated Internet Access or Ethernet, we’ll find a tailored solution that offers you a reliable, smooth internet connection. We’ll make sure you’re thoroughly prepared for the PSTN switch-off, giving you a cost-effective service that supports VoIP and more integrated communications technology.

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Celebrating Neos Networks as we turn one!

Colin Sempill, CEO

First Birthday

Neos Networks are one year old! And what a year it’s been.

When we look back over the last 12 months, it’s fair to say that with COVID still rife, at times it’s been challenging. And yet we’ve continued to develop, expand, and enhance our business with great success. Our fantastic teams play a huge part in this, ensuring that we’re always delivering for our customers.

In fact, providing great service to our customers continues to remain a top priority. It’s therefore extremely pleasing to see that the key indicator of our customer relationships – our Net Promoter Score (NPS) – remains strong with the business currently averaging a market-leading +67. This comes as a result of the business working tirelessly to ensure our customers always get the very best experience every time.

Another key focal area for the business is in positioning ourselves as an ethical leader in the industry. One way we’re leading the way in this is through our ambitious target of achieving carbon neutrality by 2030. Something we’re well on track to deliver.

We also remain strong in our delivery.

Across the industry, delivery is often a sore point. This year we’ve managed to deliver a number of key projects and initiatives to budget and to time including for Aberdeenshire County Council and Perth and Kinross Council. Then of course there was our exchange roll-out programme which saw us invest in and deploy 172 new exchanges over the year. We also have some exciting projects in-flight with Oxfordshire and telent making great progress.

Earlier this year we also announced the launch of our first direct access proposition – due for deployment across 2022 and 2023. This will see us bring end-to-end connectivity, delivered wholly by Neos Networks, to businesses across Birmingham, Liverpool, London and Manchester.

One of the key highlights of the year for me has been the progress made transforming our business. Can you believe it’s been one whole year since we launched the Neos Network brand?

In July, we migrated to our own IT platform, with a stand-alone version of Office 365. Also in July we launched our new Workday ERP system. Finally on our transformation journey, we are in full testing mode for our new end-to-end BSS system. All this collectively means that we are on track to be a standalone business by the end of this summer.

It’s fair to say that there is a lot for our business to be proud of as we celebrate 12 months as Neos Networks. Over the next 12 months we plan to keep up the momentum, continuing to grow our reach, develop our partnerships and forge new and exciting relationships.

Will you be joining us on our journey?

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Why self-service should be the first choice for resellers

Business Development Director for Wholesale, Simon Willmott

In the digital age, self-service is becoming the first choice for many. Long gone are the days where multiple phone calls and emails were required in order to price up a service. Nowadays, it’s imperative that answers can be found in a few clicks of a button.

Recognising this, we invested millions in a customer quoting and ordering portal, LIVEQUOTE, to provide our partners with more convenience, better transparency and greater choice than ever before.

We had a chat with our Business Development Director for Wholesale, Simon Willmott, about why our LIVEQUOTE portal is ideally placed to support our partners current and future needs.

Why is it important to make complex quoting simple?

Rather than reaching out to multiple providers and often waiting days to review responses, our partners can easily and instantly compare connectivity quotes side by side in a centralised place, before making their purchasing decision. We also allow our partners to compare a range of services including Business Ethernet, Optical Wavelengths, Dedicated Internet Access and Cloud Connect, where they can also compare suppliers, postcodes, bandwidths, bearers and more.

LIVEQUOTE is not just limited to Neos Networks’ reach either. We work with third-party providers including BT Wholesale, Openreach, Virgin Media Business, TalkTalk Business, Colt, Sky and CityFibre, meaning we can offer complete nationwide coverage beyond our own network, providing visibility and choice to end users.

In addition, we’re continually reviewing, improving and expanding our tool. Over the next 12 months we’ll be looking to add new products, continue to review our pricing and add additional suppliers to make the portal as intuitive and useful to our customers as possible.

For those partners with high demand, we also offer an API (Application Programming Interface) which allows users to connect their platform into ours in a seamless way.

Why is high capacity connectivity such a hot topic right now?

Up until now, when looking at high capacity connectivity options, choices have typically been restricted to Optical and Dark Fibre services and not many providers could offer a digital interface to understand availability and pricing immediately.  More recently however, due to increased popularity and reduced cost to serve, demand for high capacity services is becoming more commonplace within the wholesale community. This led us to introduce our national 10Gbps Ethernet services.

Historically 10Gbps capacity have been limited to Optical services. At Neos Networks, our fully diverse 10Gbps Ethernet service provides a new option to the market. It offers built in resilience and increased availability while reducing costs.

High capacity services are imperative in serving the needs of your business and the needs of your end-customers. Couple this with a number of next-generation technologies also being introduced, including 5G and IoT devices, high capacity connectivity is becoming more necessary than ever before.

Today, we’re proud to have one of the most pervasive national 10Gbps networks in the UK. Even better news, many of our services can be quoted and ordered easily from LIVEQUOTE.

In short, it’s evident that high capacity connectivity is here for the long-haul and we want to be the provider who you turn to in order to facilitate your high capacity needs.

What is backhaul and how can it propel our partners into the future?

Backhaul connectivity allows you to take connectivity from our unbundled BT exchanges to other exchanges or data centres across the UK, connecting directly into your customer premise and back to your core network. This effectively allows you to connect end customers more quickly and cost-effectively enabling them to access next generation connectivity.

This effectively enables service providers, like yourself, to take advantage of the network of other providers (like us), without having to foot the hefty bill that comes with delivering diverse fibre into exchanges yourself.

Our backhaul service can be accessed on LIVEQUOTE  in both Ethernet and Optical variants.

What does the future of Neos Networks look like?

We’ve just completed the latest phase of our network expansion programme, Project Edge, pushing our reach further than it's ever been before. Today, we can provide you with access to 550 unbundled exchanges, 676 PoPs, 90 data centres and 34,000km of fibre infrastructure. We specialise in high capacity national services and we’ll continue to invest in our network in areas with high customer demand.

We also recently announced the launch of our metro access network. Once live, this will allow us to provide full end-to-end fibre connectivity directly to businesses within Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham and London – all connected to our UK-wide network. Our access proposition provides a cost-effective alternative to EAD LA services, allowing customers to reduce their dependency on Openreach. This will ensure a single supplier delivers your full connectivity service from the end-customers building directly into a Network-to-Network Interface.

As we continue to invest in our own network, there has never been a better time to discuss how we can help you deliver more services to your customers. To discuss your network strategy and how we can help send us an email by clicking here, and we’ll get in touch.

If you would like access to LIVEQUOTE our Account Directors can provide you with a demo. Simply request access here. Alternatively, if you have an account, log in here.

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Connectivity for an energy-efficient future

Andy Ainsley, Sales Director Head of Energy

Energy

Over the last few years, the energy sector has seen seismic change in the way that it operates. With increased energy demand, rising costs to deliver energy, challenges on consumer pricing, political pressures, and strict regulations all underway, the industry is at a crucial turning point.

But in order to be successful, we must embrace change.

When it comes to the future of energy, there are four topics leading the conversation within the sector…

The soaring cost of energy

A hot talking point of late is the steady increase in the price of energy. It has, of course been evident in the media the impact this is having on the end-user, but what is less talked about is the strain also being felt by the energy industry.

Over the last 12 months alone, over 30 energy companies have collapsed due to the increased cost of service. This has come about following a worldwide squeeze on energy supplies and a rise is wholesale pricing of over 300% since the beginning of last year. These actions, alongside a price cap implemented from Ofgem, has led to firms offering energy services at rates lower than their wholesale buy price.

If energy doors are to remain open, they must look at new ways to buy and sell energy services to the market.

The rapid growth of renewables

While those providing traditional energy services feel the pinch, those in the renewable sector are continuing to thrive following another record year of growth. In fact, it’s been stated that renewables will account for 95% of growth in global power-generation capacity over the next few years, exceeding that of fossil fuels and nuclear energy.

This growth is in part thanks to a range of new climate and energy policies being implemented worldwide in order to help us meet our green credentials. Something that was a huge talking point at last year’s COP 26 summit.

Regardless, renewable energy clearly has a key part to play in the future of UK energy with wind and solar energy a crucial incumbent in our move to become truly net-zero.

The rise of the Internet of Energy

The latest buzzword across the industry is the Internet of Energy (IoE). The service involves merging Internet of Things (IoT) technology into the national grid to optimise energy usage and reduce wastage.

This technology allows energy providers to better balance energy demand while also allowing consumers to reduce costs by running appliances at a time where the cost per wattage is at its lowest.

For example, should a household wish to run their dishwasher at a time where it will cost the least, IoE technology should identify off-peak times from the grid, and turn on the dishwasher at the most appropriate time.

By combining the internet and solar energy in this way, the benefits could be great. So much so that, UK based utility company National Grid have stated that between 30% – 50% of fluctuations in the grid could be solved if both households and businesses adjusted their demands at peak time.

The move to demand-based models

Much like it’s ‘as a service’ counterparts, Energy as a Service (EaaS) allows the end-user to consume energy using a service-led business model. This means they broaden their offering from ‘just energy services’ to also include technology, analytics and reporting and even access to the grid. By taking energy in this way, the consumer will gain better visibility over their usage and expenditure, taking individual services in exchange for a recurring fee.

Historically, energy has been sold in kilowatts per hour but more recently it’s come to light that there is an appetite to simplify energy requirements, to ensure better sustainability and more cost-efficiencies. This realisation led to some energy providers looking at how they could better manage their overheads through the introduction of demand-based energy options.

EaaS proves beneficial both to the energy companies providing the service and the consumer thanks to its user-centric model which enables both to leverage cost savings while allowing the provider to diversify their product offering.

The part connectivity can play

One thing is clear, to truly succeed in such a fast-changing market, energy providers must not only be flexible enough to adapt to this changing world, they must also have robust, underlying networks in place to support their future ambitions. Embracing the aforementioned new technologies and initiatives is a sure-fire way to elevate the energy sector into the future.

To ensure success however, they must consider partnering with a network provider who not only understands their business, but can also work with them to overcome their connectivity challenges.

That’s where we come in. With over 20 years of industry expertise, Neos Networks has been supporting the energy sector to meet their connectivity ambitions thanks to our critical national infrastructure and expansive knowledge of the sector and the challenges and opportunities set to come its way.

We’re proud to own and operate a pervasive UK business-only network spanning 34,000km fibre network, 550 unbundled exchanges, 676 points of presence and 90 on-net data centres. On this we provide robust, reliable connectivity options to suit the energy market, all with capacities up to 100Gbps.

Regardless of who you partner with, finding a provider with a range of core connectivity options that can support EaaS, IoE, the changes in the way customers consume energy and more is imperative.

Once found, a world of opportunity will be opened, allowing those in the sector to achieve a more fruitful and energy-efficient future.

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A guide to Optical connectivity

A Q&A with Mark Charlesworth, Product Director, Neos Networks and Richard Horton, Account Manager, Ciena

Business data demands have evolved significantly in recent years. Data centres continue to be built to support the data driven economy and migration to the cloud, and new digital use cases and advanced technologies are impelling digital transformation. At the heart of this is the underlying communications infrastructure that enables the deployment of applications and services that can enhance productivity, efficiency, and business operations. One such solution that supports the ambitions of data hungry organisations is Optical connectivity.

In this blog, Mark Charlesworth, Product Director at Neos Networks and Richard Horton, Account Manager at Ciena, discuss the ins and outs of Optical connectivity and the benefits it can bring to businesses across all industries.

What is Optical networking and how has it revolutionised connectivity solutions for businesses?

Richard: Optical networking is a means of communication and data transmission that starts at the very bottom of the Open Systems Interconnect (OSI) model with the multiplexing of waves and transmission of information encoded in light signals. Without going too far into the technical details, what this means in terms of real, noticeable benefit is that the network technology is capable of transporting large amounts of data. Optical can deliver connectivity services that are exclusive and deterministic, while offering the lowest possible latency of any type of network. It also provides a much better cost point for the bandwidth received for organisations with large data demands – for example those businesses with large data lakes or data centres and cloud infrastructure that they need to stitch together. Ultimately, it is the least complex and most cost-effective way of achieving the transport needed to move vast amounts of data and it removes a lot of the complexities that are experienced further up the OSI model.

Mark: From the perspective of a network provider, Optical Wavelength networking is focused on alleviating the traffic pressure from Ethernet and IP networks. This allows our customers consuming the service to achieve better efficiencies and economies of scale, subsequently receiving better service options and availability. Optical transport has also revolutionised the service provider’s solutions offerings, to meet the demands of those customers and vertical industries that require increasing amounts of data consumption, with a service they can rely on, whatever their industry.

The reason why Optical is so critical for customers who consume high capacities is because Ethernet simply cannot efficiently handle the transport of huge quantities of data, or the types of data demands we see from sectors like media and finance. Equally, what Optical has given our customers is complete control on quality, on processing, and also greater transparency of service. In its purest sense, Optical has advanced large-scale transportation and is the ideal solution for multi-site enterprises with significant data demands vs more simplistic, small-scale business that can be handled over a computing platform.

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What specific business and industry challenges does Optical connectivity help to solve?

Mark: Optical is fundamental in enabling any business that requires network transparency and transportation, but also high capacity. Some of the industries that immediately spring to mind are finance, media and broadcast. These types of organisations carry vast quantities of data between data centre sites and often across international borders. The use cases could include high frequency real time trading or sharing large broadcast quality multimedia content almost instantaneously without the need for file compression. Optical networks are also critical in solving challenges for data centre providers, system integrators and wholesale carriers that have vast networks to connect and don’t want, or cannot operate with, an army of Ethernet connections between their sites. Critically, Optical gives those high data demand industries the fluidity of data exchange between one system and another. Employers and employees alike don’t want to be overly concerned with the technicality of compressing files and data to ease their transmission, they simply want to focus on the objectives of their business.

Richard: Mark is right to highlight those uses and another industry I would call out is healthcare. When we speak to customers in the healthcare sector, they’re often sending high-quality, high-density images, scans and files, data sets that can be difficult to compress. Not only that, but healthcare professionals must work quickly, sharing those high-density files in raw format, and in real time, creating some astonishingly high bandwidth demands, another challenge Optical communications solve.

Additionally, Optical is inherently more secure. If you’re running an Optical circuit, you aren’t going up in OSI layers, so with an exclusive dedicated circuit there is no control plane or any other protocol that could be interrogated by bad actors. What’s more, the entire pipe can be encrypted, securing the data at the lowest possible layer to ensure robust communication and smooth transport of data. The final thing I’d add is that we see some enterprises making use of Optical to hedge their cloud application use and run multiple workloads with various cloud providers. We’re starting to see more enterprises adopt this hybrid-cloud model, buying resources at different times based on the economic benefits it creates. This might involve moving different workloads at different times of the day from one provider to another. In doing so they need that Optical layer to move those workloads at scale and in real time, for that added flexibility and agility in managing their cloud environments.

Why should businesses choose an Optical solution over other connectivity solutions such as Ethernet?

Mark: There are three key considerations for why a business should choose Optical: price, capacity and transparency. Of course, a business can buy an Ethernet service at a lower cost to a 400Gbps Optical service; however, if you are in the market for high scale, high availability data then you simply can’t compare an Ethernet connection with the capabilities of an Optical network to meet your capacity and bandwidth demands. Critical National Infrastructure is an area where Optical is fundamental in supporting an always-on operation, to consistently monitor and manage high levels of network traffic.

Richard: Additionally, businesses that need robust protection mechanisms in their network should certainly consider an Optical solution. The further up the OSI stack you go, the more difficult it is to achieve the switch over performance of close to 50ms – in fact, it’s impossible to achieve that with Ethernet. Some businesses might look at the opportunities with Dark Fibre, but those businesses must consider that they will then have the responsibility of lighting their own Optical systems and the complexities that come with it. Consuming Optical products is very simple however, building Optical networks is not nearly as straightforward.

What Optical connectivity solutions are available to businesses and how do they use them?

Richard: Optical connectivity solutions range from point-to-point, relatively low bandwidth connections like 10Gbps all the way up to large switched optical networks of 400-800Gbps using Optical Transport Networking (OTN) and virtual private networks where you may even build a virtual Optical network core.

Mark: Demand is highest for the point-to-point connections, everything from 10Gbps up to 100-200Gbps services. The important thing to remember though is that you don’t buy Optical networks off the shelf. They are dynamic and flexible solutions that are tailored to meet specific and unique business needs. The solution will always be designed with careful consideration of what the customer will use the network for, and the level of service they want. Deploying an Optical solution fulfils a lot more than just providing internet access, with X amount of bandwidth. There are elements such as short-haul and long-haul considerations. Optical solutions aren’t just about meeting capacity demands, they also solve challenges with distance and interconnects – particularly in the data centre market. Data centres need a long shelf-life. They involve much longer planned investment and deployment meaning the Optical solution must fit current and future requirements with the option to scale as the business and its customer base grows.

How are Optical connectivity solutions unlocking the potential of advanced network technologies like 5G, IoT and edge networking?

Mark: The IoT opportunity is an interesting one when considering the potential benefits of supporting a connected ecosystem with Optical. IoT has always been seen as large amounts of small packet data and information, with a mandatory requirement for that data to be shared constantly in real time. As the number of IoT devices proliferates, there will be this enormous build-up of data that will need to be transported from multiple point A’s to multiple point B’s, and that represents a very different challenge to moving, for example, that large high-density data in a healthcare organisation that we discussed earlier. Finding a dedicated way to transport that information creates a challenge that wasn’t around before, and it’s a challenge that Optical technology can solve.

Richard: Another technology that Optical can enable is the machine-to-machine infrastructure on the back end of the network. Currently this involves lots of small communications, but much like IoT, as that scales it becomes significant and the more applications running means significantly more data that needs to be transmitted between data centres and end points. As Optical has evolved, there has been an inevitable driving down of the cost and where those data centre environments were previously centralised, more and more compute is now being pushed out to the edge to enable more real time processing, analysis, and communication of data. Underpinning all of that is a solid Optical backbone.

The industry has of course talked at great lengths about the potential for 5G, and Optical is undeniably critical in supporting the mobile network with reliable backhaul infrastructure. With 5G, the access technologies and the Radio Access Network (RAN) changes. A variety of RAN technologies, whether that’s virtual RAN or Open RAN, create significantly different service requirements. Optical makes a real difference in enabling the convergence of the fronthaul, backhaul and midhaul transport within the mobile network, leading to the concept of the xhaul infrastructure changes that come with the advent of 5G. Again, due to the decrease in the cost of Optical networks that has occurred over time, there is more flexibility for these technologies to become more distributed, changing the economies of the network for the mobile operators, and that is supported by the flexibility and agility of the Optical infrastructure.

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