Wireless WAN is now a viable alternative to a wired connection in many locations across Australia. Intelligent 5G-native routers are already delivering secure, resilient connections almost anywhere a network is needed.
In mid-June 2022, Telstra announced its 5G network is now accessible by 80 percent of the Australian population and that number will expand to 95 percent by 2025. Meanwhile Telstra 4GX - Telstra branding for LTE - is bringing together multiple 4G spectrum bands for faster speeds and double the bandwidth of standard 4G, for category 6 and above devices.
This cellular network expansion is accelerating the viability of wireless WAN as an option for primary or failover connectivity in many more places across Australia.>
In the post-pandemic world, customers are more mobile. workers are more distributed, information and applications are increasingly across clouds, and the network edge is expanding.
Wires were necessary for WAN connections when work and computing were confined to stable locations.
In this new world, we accept that digital transformation can be achieved at speed, because we have lived through accelerated change for the past two years.
It also makes sense that the next phase of digital transformation will focus on increased agility and the continued move away from the restrictions of physical locations and wired connections.
In a highly distributed and changing business climate, organisations need the freedom of secure enterprise-class wireless WAN networking.
Wireless WANs have been transformed in the past two-three years by the growth of LTE and 5G networks, and the development of intelligent 5G native routers. The key features of wireless WAN read like a list of advantages for wireless over wires...
Rapid availability is the obvious big advantage of a wireless WAN connection. MobileCorp can have a customer location up and running within 24 hours and typically wireless connectivity even with mounting an external antenna can occur in days, rather than the weeks or months of a wired link, and at a fraction of the price. Our NextDay Connect solution provides rapid connectivity for enterprise and business locations without compromising security or performance.
Agile, always-on, resilient connectivity with 5G speeds leaving NBN in its wake and a reduction in downtime - Telstra provides a guaranteed 99.9% uptime guarantee with its 5G Enhanced Enterprise Wireless solution, means organisations have gotten more confident using wireless as their primary connection, either with no wired links or with wired hybrid WANs. Network staff can continuously monitor the quality and strength of the connection and make adjustments for optimal throughput.
Cloud management allows network staff to securely provision, monitor, analyse and control thousands of devices from anywhere. Advanced out-of-band management support means cellular routers can be reached over the air even it the IP and Ethernet functions are not available.
Link diversity for many Australian organisations means a second wired connection, often running along the same physical path as the primary. This is not optimal when the cases of indiscriminate back hoes or widespread riverine flooding for example. A cellular link provides true diversity whether for primary or failover.
Policy-based routing and traffic shaping with wireless routers can separate and prioritise traffic based on application, source and destination, or time of day, among other characteristics. This can help ensure that critical traffic is not affected by generic web traffic or large but lower-priority file transfers. Wireless routers can also managed multiple distinct links directing important applications onto the most efficient path or aggregating multiple links to handle peak times.
Bandwidth augmentation is another driver for wireless WANs as we see increasingly demand for large files and video streaming away from fixed locations. Industries such as construction, healthcare,Enterprise-class security is an often overlooked advantage of wireless WANs. Enhanced security capabilities are imperative for enterprise-class networking. Wireless WANsoffer VPNs, application-aware firewalls, and threat management capabilities along with cloud security options to securely connect from the traffic source to the edge of the network. End-to-end encryption, automated public-key infrastructure, and cloaked private address spaces establish the equivalent of private network security over the public Internet.
Network segmentation of critical traffic can be achieved using Wireless WANs. Isolating and segmenting distinct types of traffic such as Point-of-Sale terminals, video surveillance footage, HVAC systems, and IoT devices facilitates clear visibility of activity and separates potential attack targets from general traffic.
Air-gapped parallel networks can keep sensitive data and the equipment that uses it separated,
reducing the attack surface and mitigating the opportunities for criminals to gain access to confidential data by breaching a less secure device or application. This can be especially beneficial when deploying new devices or applications at the branch, making it easier to add something new without affecting existing security zones and protocols.
Zero-touch deployment means there is no need for IT personnel to be onsite. Preconfigured routers, sometimes with a pre-inserted SIM, can be deployed to site for a plug-and-play installation. [NOTE: Should an external antenna be required this would require expertise but a local installer can be utilised.
MobileCorp has deployed many of Australia's first 5G networks including for Marine Rescue NSW and Ticketek.
At the Westpac Helicopter Base at Botany Bay, Sydney, MobileCorp has installed a Cradlepoint 5G Wideband Adapter that is regularly delivering speeds of 800+Mbps down and 70 Mbps up. This performance will become commonplace as the 5G signal density grows across Australia.
Cradlepoint is recognised as a global leader in cloud-delivered LTE and 5G routers, and wireless edge network solutions for mobile, branch and IOT networks.
After launching its first LTE edge router in 2012, Cradlepoint continued to innovate being the first router vendor to move into an SD-WAN cloud management platform with its NetCloudTM platform.
NetCloudTM was the first platform to combine cloud management and software-defined modem technology with software-defined networking, unified edge security and cloud-controlled router endpoints.
In July 2020, Telstra and Cradlepoint teamed up to launch the world's first 5G Enterprise Wireless solution. A few months later, in September 2020, Ericsson announced its acquisition of Cradlepoint for USD$1.1 billion.
The W2005 turns existing legacy routers into 5G gateways. The W2005 can be paired with a Cradlepoint router in “captive modem mode” to provide virtual single-endpoint deployment, monitoring, and control. Or, can connect to a third-party router via an Ethernet connection.
MobileCorp is the Cradlepoint APAC Managed Service Partner of the Year 2022. We offer Cradlepoint network solutions and a managed service which is carrier agnostic and includes
Outsourcing Cradlepoint router configuration, deployment and ongoing management has significant benefits, for enterprises including:
MobileCorp is an enterprise ICT solutions company with a mission to deliver our customers a communications technology edge. We specialise in LTE and 5G wireless networks and are Australia's leading Cradlepoint Elite Partner holding the 5G for Enterprise Branch specialisation which is held by just 45 MSPs globally. We also provide Managed Mobility Services, Enterprise Mobility Management, Complex Data and IP Networks, and Unified Communication solutions. We have a proven track record providing managed services for Australian enterprise and business, and we are a Telstra Platinum Partner and a Cradlepoint Authorised Partner.
Cradlepoint is a global leader in cloud-delivered 4G and 5G wireless network edge solutions. Cradlepoint’s NetCloud™ platform and cellular routers deliver a pervasive, secure, and software-defined Wireless WAN edge to connect people, places, and things — anywhere. Many businesses and government agencies around the world, including many Global 2000 organizations and top public sector agencies, rely on Cradlepoint to keep mission-critical sites, points of commerce, field forces, vehicles, and IoT devices always connected. Cradlepoint was founded in 2006, acquired by Ericsson in 2020, and operates today as a standalone subsidiary within Ericsson’s Business Area Technologies and New Businesses. Cradlepoint is headquartered in Boise, Idaho, with development centres in Silicon Valley and India and international offices in the UK and Australia.