MPLS Space Expands: U.K. Councils Select MDNX for Shared Network

By Ed Silverstein, TMCnet Contributor

Two regions in the southeastern United Kingdom have selected telecom company MDNX for its shared public service network (PSN).

The deal for LINK will cost Brighton and East Sussex councils some £14 million (about $21,989,800.) The core will run multi protocol label switching (MPLS) with a 10Gbps network.

The network will connect the two councils, both located in Sussex County, as well as provide local emergency services, as well services for schools, libraries, healthcare and other public uses.

The contract between MDNX – an integrator which is based in Bracknell, U.K. – and the two councils will last for seven years. Under the deal, MDNX will select infrastructure providers and technologies which are best suited for each location, according to news reports. High-speed broadband, wireless technology and 4G will be integrated as it is offered. 

"Using an integrator gives us the flexibility to switch to new technology and new carrier services as they become available and as our needs evolve," Tony Summers, CIO at East Sussex County Council (ESCC), told PC Advisor.  "This approach lets us build a relationship with a supplier partner, without being tied to a fixed solution, which is vital in the dynamic environment we face."

In addition, the LINK offers the councils 20 percent lower costs rather than if they built separate networks, officials said. In the near future, the two councils also want to combine their SAP (News - Alert) systems. The move by councils to combine their resources in a shared network was also seen in 2012 in Norfolk where officials selected Claranet for a private MPLS-based network.

There is clearly a move in the United Kingdom and elsewhere to expand the MPLS space, and achieve the many benefits associated with the offering.

In fact, MPLS provider UNSi provides various locations carrier and managed services including its Same IP Failover (SIF) product that are ideal for companies throughout the globe. Recently demonstrated at ITEXPO (News - Alert) Miami 2013, SIF is a back-up solution that lets businesses automatically transfer over to a different Internet connection if the original connection fails. The same inbound IP addresses are kept intact despite the transfer with the next-generation solution.