netElastic recently conducted a survey to learn what broadband providers really want from broadband network gateways (BNGs).
Broadband providers representing twelve different countries participated in the survey, including ISPs, large carriers, WISPs, and electric utilities. And both large and small providers were included. Job titles held by the survey respondents included Chief Technology Officer (CTO), network engineer, and network architect, among others.
What Features and Benefits are Most Important in a vBNG?
Performance/Scalability and Reliability were named as the most important features/benefits in a BNG. More than 89% of survey respondents chose either Performance/Scalability or Reliability as the most important BNG features.
IPv6 support, PPPoE and IPoE, and web-based GUI management were also listed as important features and benefits.
What do you Wish your BNG had that it Currently Doesn’t?
Many survey respondents wrote that having a single pane of glass (or dashboard) with reporting and network management was a feature they would like to have with their BNG. Other respondents mentioned Carrier Grade NAT (GCNAT) as a feature they want.
What Would the Perfect BNG Look Like?
The perfect BNG would be easy to configure, administer, and manage, said broadband providers. Other providers mentioned the perfect BNG would incorporate high-performance, scalability, and reliability. Offering a monthly subscription was also important.
What Motivates Service Providers to Purchase New BNGs?
Technology upgrades, lower costs, and deployment flexibility were the three biggest reasons why a service provider would purchase a new BNG. Support costs were another significant factor.
The Next Stage for BNGs
Router manufacturers have traditionally sold broadband network gateways as hardware appliances. However, the broadband world is changing, with software playing a greater and more strategic role in broadband networks.
BNGs are no exception. Software-based (or virtual) BNGs are increasing in popularity due to their lower costs and greater scalability than proprietary, hardware-based BNGs.
Built upon software and network virtualization technologies, vBNG uses software to provide critical network functionality. This enables service providers to easily scale up available bandwith capacity on-demand. vBNG also separates the data plane and control plane so each can be scaled independently, which provides the ability to dynamically adjust the network based on constantly changing requirements.
A Leader in vBNGs
netElastic developed one of the industry’s first virtual BNGs. Since it launched, netElastic vBNG has become an industry leader by delivering market-leading scalability and flexibility with an optimized data plane and highly scalable design.
What about Performance?
netElastic and Intel have worked together to achieve new levels of performance for vBNGs. Recently, netElastic announced test results for its Virtual BNG running on 3rd Generation Intel Xeon Scalable processors, which showed an up to 56% increase in compute performance per dollar and up to a 20% increase in packet throughput performance when compared to the previous CPU generation.*
Enhanced Customer Visibility with vBNGs
The survey revealed that many broadband providers are looking for a single pane of glass (or dashboard) with reporting and network management.
netElastic Router Manager is a web-based management application that makes it easy and intuitive for service providers to quickly configure their vBNGs and monitor how the network and vBNG are performing.
“BNG Manager provides detailed customer information that has improved and simplified our customer issue troubleshooting, which has resulted in a better customer experience and lower support costs,” said Nigel Rayneau, the CEO of Ufone, a leading New Zealand service provider.
If you’re looking for a vBNG with high-performance, scalability, and a single pane of glass view into your vBNGs and subscribers, netElastic vBNG may be for you.
To learn more about vBNGs, please read the white paper on Next Generation Virtual BNGs – Is Your Broadband Network Ready?
* To learn more about netElastic vBNG test results and methodology, please download the full technical white paper here.