NetCloud Exchange’s 5G optimizations will help enterprises with network slicing and SA deployments, said the company
Cradlepoint on Wednesday announced that its NetCloud Exchange Software-Defined Wide Area Networking (SD-WAN) solution is now optimized for 5G networks. The new solution will help enterprises with network slicing and 5G Standalone (SA) network deployments, said Cradlepoint.
NetCloud Exchange (NCX) is a wireless wide area network (WWAN) solution aimed at enterprises. An extension to Cradlepoint’s Network as a Service (NaaS) offering, NetCloud Exchange was rolled out earlier this year. The solution provides enterprises with LTE and 5G WWAN services.
Cradlepoint says that NCX sports traffic optimization over dual cellular and hybrid WAN connections, to optimize Quality of Experience (QoE) for the user. The solution sports Zero-Trust Network Access (ZTNA) support, as well as simplified management with named-based routing, adaptive traffic control, and built-in traffic orchestration. Cradlepoint touts NCX’s unified WAN architecture which integrates 5G, SD-WAN and security into one single architecture which shares common components, policies, and streamlined procedures.
Cradlepoint has made some critical adjustments to the way NCX works to optimize for 5G-based SD-WAN. They include consideration of cellular-centric attributes when steering traffic, including available bandwidth and data usage. NCX now uses in-line traffic to calculate WAN performance metrics, as a way of preserving bandwidth across metered links.
Cradlepoint has also integrated Cellular Intelligence, a collection of software features it builds into its wireless edge routers and adapters, to provide users with better insights and visibility of 5G networks. Cellular Intelligence can expose cellular service provider visibility, the ability to view cellular signal strength and the ability to plot the location of both SD-WAN routers and the serving cell towers on a map for optimal placement of devices, said Cradlepoint.
NetCloud Exchange’s SD-WAN solution uses NetCloud Exchange Service Gateway, the Secure Connect solution, and select Cradlepoint routers for deployment, said the company.
In October Cradlepoint announced a collaboration with T-Mobile US and Bosch to enable advanced IoT connectivity in autonomous vehicles, robotics, and AR/VR using 5G WWAN tech. The solution, developed by Bosch and Cradlepoint, leverages T-Mobile’s 5G network with Cradlepoint’s purpose-built wideband adapters and routers to facilitate near real-time parking and safety monitoring at Peachtree Corners, Georgia, one of the U.S.’s first smart cities.
Cradlepoint’s presence as a provider of enterprise WWAN services reached a milestone earlier this year. The company and Verizon announced the deployment of more than 1 million Cradlepoint routers deployed on Verizon’s network edge.
“Over the past couple of years, we are seeing our enterprise customers incorporate wireless into their solutions at a pace that they hadn’t been doing prior,” Jennifer Artley, SVP of strategic initiatives at Verizon Business, told RCR Wireless News. “Even [the] largest enterprises and the public sector [want] fixed wireless access solutions at the edge. Getting to a million is pretty significant for both parties.”
Less than two months later, Verizon said it would use Cradlepoint’s W1850 5G Wideband Adapter to provide C-Band spectrum connectivity. The solution has been specifically designed to support Verizon’s 5G mid-band networks, according to Cradlepoint.
“The collaboration we’ve announced today with Cradlepoint unlocks the potential of cellular for businesses and delivers Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband to businesses of all sizes, enabling them to take advantage of C-Band spectrum. Our strategic relationship has allowed us to deliver enterprise class solutions that, among other things, enable IT organizations to manage the entire Wireless WAN lifecycle,” said Verizon Business SVP of Global Enterprise Massimo Peselli.
