Case study – Epsilon

The Business Problem

Epsilon, which has experienced significant growth since its inception in 2003, found itself increasingly up against challenges to handle both scaling and heightened survivability on the core network in keeping with customer demand.  As the network footprint expanded due to ever increasing aggregation of international voice and data traffic, it became apparent that steps would need to be taken to increase the amount of underlying fibre links in the core network and additionally employ the use of GMPLS ASON control plane to further leverage on the bandwidth efficiencies and numerous restoration capabilities that the technology offers to survive multiple failures which can manifest in dense metro areas such as London.  Particularly of concern were the connections between the main super core sites of the Epsilon network where the majority of international cable systems land.  Epsilon decided on the move to mesh network architecture for both its core SDH and Ethernet products and this required significant architectural changes on the fibre network.

Finding a connectivity solution that not only improved network resilience, but that could also overcome the planning challenges of the urban site played a part in Epsilon’s decision to select Geo.

The Solution

Epsilon and Geo had been working together for some time, providing ad-hoc leased lines around London, so Epsilon already knew the benefits of Geo’s fibre being buried deep in the sewers of London. With Geo’s network already in place in many parts of London, minimal new routes would be needed.

The BPO (Bespoke Project Office) within Geo conducted a full consultative review and submitted a proposal recommending a migration of the entire network onto its own robust London and metropolitan data infrastructure. 

The proposal advocated four physically diverse routes to the sites, to ensure that in the unlikely event of any one line being affected, the autonomy of the routes would mean that any disruption would be isolated and would cause minimum impact.  Geo’s network characteristically assures of no crossing or sharing of fibre, meaning that speed is optimised and disruptions due to works are virtually eradicated.

The first two routes took just seven weeks from proposal through to implementation and delivery. Geo’s existing network was extended to bring the Paul Street site on-net, now forming a part of Geo’s core backbone.

The Benefits

Epsilon will have four ultra-high bandwidth connections between its data centres along physically diverse routes, minimising the risk of outages.  These low latency fibre connections will enable Epsilon to continue to extend the reach of its own UK network, whilst benefitting from a powerful business continuity solution. The new dark fibre links connecting the four sites will result in a direct improvement in service delivery to Epsilon’s end customers, with the paired fibres providing added network security.

“Our network has been running interruption-free since we have switched to Geo.  This is one of the fastest and most comprehensive network migrations that I have experienced, and demonstrates the value of selecting the right partner in this industry.  Geo has proved itself to us time after time, not just in the physical fibre but in its dedicated project management approach”, George Szlosarek, CTO, Epsilon.

Chris Smedley, CEO of Geo, commented “From the off-set we were committed to providing Epsilon with a diverse network meeting their exacting needs. The engineering and design solution was unique and thorough. This connectivity ring to 4 data centres in the London area demonstrates the value Geo’s unique position in having our asset in the London sewer network.”

About Epsilon

Epsilon is an international operator headquartered in Singapore, with subsidiary offices located in London and Hong Kong. Their core focus is providing global voice and data connectivity solutions for Carrier’s and Service Providers. They provide SDH and Ethernet connectivity in their global POP’s and the product portfolio further includes Co-location, System integration, network management and maintenance services.

Currently their Network extends to over 50 Carrier neutral Data Centres across Western Europe, America and Asia. In these Points of Presence they currently service around 270 International Carriers and have access to over 1000 operators. Epsilon operates a multivendor and best of breed strategy for the supply of equipment and underlying infrastructure, having over 200 network elements currently deployed under management. For Further information on Epsilon please visit www.epsilontel.com.