The advantages of an Adaptive Network over a traditional network

Many people tend to forget the value of Telstra Adaptive Networks as a standalone access solution. That’s because the discussion usually focuses on the power of Telstra Adaptive Networks in supporting advanced technologies like SD-WAN and SASE.

And yes, if you’re thinking of deploying those solutions, a strong network underlay from Telstra can make all the difference to performance. However, you don’t need to adopt SD-WAN or SASE to take advantage of the very real benefits our networks provide.

An alternative to MPLS

Traditionally, an MPLS network has been the go-to solution for organisations wanting private and secure access into the Telstra core network. And MPLS satisfies those needs brilliantly.

But with MPLS, every product or service running on the network requires a dedicated fibre link. If you have multiple products and services, there has to be just as many fibre paths.

That can be pretty expensive to install, and because there are multiple components to monitor manually, expensive to maintain. Nevertheless, for organisations wanting the ultimate in privacy and security, it can be well worth the trade-off.

However, if you don’t need the privacy of dedicated MPLS links, a Telstra Adaptive Networks solution can be a cost-efficient alternative that’s just as effective.

Multiple services, one fibre path

With Telstra Adaptive Networks, we deliver multiples services over one single strand of fibre to a Network Translation Unit (NTU) at your site.

You can run as many applications and services as you want depending on the bandwidth you purchase. Each application or service will be segmented within the fibre path so we can monitor quality of service.

This is made possible due to Telstra’s investment in digitising the back-end of our network services. Essentially, we’ve removed hundreds of legacy systems and replaced them with a digital stack. Systems which used to require manual intervention can now be set-up, configured and monitored digitally via a central location.

So what are the benefits?

Speed of deployment is a significant advantage. With far fewer configurations to manage at our end, Telstra can set up services to our customers faster than ever before.

Speed is matched by flexibility. You can quickly dial bandwidth up or down as needed. You can also deploy or remove services when you want since we have no lock-in contracts. With Telstra Adaptive Networks, its easier to respond in the moment to business change.

Then of course, there’s economy. Configuration simplicity at our end means Telstra services are more cost-effective to deliver.

Our customers also make substantial savings by not paying for a dedicated MPLS network to be built. In addition, they only need one fibre path to their site to run multiple services, instead of having numerous fibre paths.

All this means that having great connectivity today is a more financially feasible than before. And perhaps this is one of the most important advantages of Telstra Adaptive Networks.

With the money saved, organisations can afford to put on applications and services that improve productivity and efficiency. From being a simple connectivity link, the network transforms into an enabler of business goals – which is as it should be.

Putting Telstra Adaptive Networks to work

A Telstra Adaptive Networks access solution will suit many organisations that want speed of set-up, cost-efficiency, flexibility, and proven performance.

It’s especially relevant for remote or distributed sites. Take the mining industry for example.  Mining companies can have one fibre path to manage all their digital workloads at the site.

They could support basic business activities like voice and video communications, data sharing and backups. They could even operate remote controlled or autonomous vehicles. All run over dedicated channels for better performance.

Even fixed sites like the average office block will benefit. All that’s required is a single fibre link to the building basement to support multiple business activities.

If you want assurance of business continuity, our Rapid Activation and Mobile Backup service (Rambo) has that covered. The NTU can have mobile backup, so if the fibre goes down, all connected services can keep going. At present, mobile backup offers 4G, but 5G will be available in the near future.

Top performance at its core

A key point to mention is that the services our customers receive via Telstra Adaptive Networks run over the #1 high-capacity and low latency network in Asia-Pacific.¹

Our customers get direct connectivity to the  Telstra Next IP Core Network with its targeted availability of 99.999% . We also offer dedicated fibre connectivity with triple path redundancy to all nbn™ points of interconnect.

It means that you don’t need private MPLS to enjoy unrivalled speed, security and resilience in your network. Telstra Adaptive Networks provides all of these benefits - with additional economy and flexibility.