Boingo Wireless has installed a virtual CPE solution from Procera Networks to shape network traffic and apply granular profiles that deliver multiple classes of service as part of its S.M.A.R.T Network offering, which was introduced in September 2014.
Boingo’s S.M.A.R.T network design – which stands for Secure, Multiplatform, Analytics-Driven, Responsive and Tiered – reimagines public Wi-Fi based on usage data that identified multiple classes of users with significantly different connection and usage profiles. For instance, in a typical venue, Boingo’s S.M.A.R.T. Network will include three classes of services aimed at three unique user/application profiles: complimentary Wi-Fi, supported by advertising and sponsorship, provides up to 5 Mbps of speed for users with basic connectivity demands, such as e-mail and web browsing; a “Turbo Boost” premium tier of service, supporting speeds up to 10 Mbps, enables streaming media; and an “Enterprise Wi-Fi” tier with 20 Mbps speed for business users.
Procera said its PacketLogic/V virtual customer premises equipment (CPE) client delivers the full suite of its PacketLogic solution. It bundles all of Procera’s rich insights and actions solutions into an easily deployable Virtual Network Function as a Service (VNFaaS). Procera’s Virtual Network Function Manager will be used to dynamically create PacketLogic/V instances as needed, delivering on the promise of service flexibility and elasticity that the ETSI NFV specifications require.
“Procera’s platform is a great fit for our NFV-driven architecture,” said Derek Peterson, Ph.D., Chief Technology Officer of Boingo Wireless. “Their ability to deliver a fully virtualized PacketLogic solution enabled Boingo to achieve the ROI that we needed for our business model. We evaluated hardware-based solutions, but they did not meet our cost or deployment flexibility requirements.”
“NFV is a strategic technology for Procera, and Boingo is a perfect example of new business opportunities enabled by NFV,” said Mike Kay, Vice President of Business Development for Procera Networks. “Virtual CPE solutions can bring the power of Procera’s solutions to the edge of the network with substantial cost savings and deployment flexibility.”
- Boingo Wireless currently spans more than a million DAS and Wi-Fi locations in places as varied as airports, stadiums, universities, and military bases.
