Premium Choice Broadband runs fiber services from its headquarters in Brewer, Maine, and its mission is to bridge the digital divide in the state’s rural counties. Founded in 2007 and part of the Varney family of companies, the operator has grown from five broadcast locations around Bangor to more than 67 sites covering roughly 7,000 square miles between Rockwood and Surry. Fiber-to-the-home, DSL, cable, and wireless services reach over 5,000 Maine families and businesses across Hancock, Penobscot, and Piscataquis counties.
That footprint outgrew the core. An aging Cisco core router had to go, and a follow-on project had to replace a Ubiquiti EdgeRouter Infinity supporting a statewide fiber ring. Budget pressure and the cost of traditional rip-and-replace upgrades made the existing vendor path unattractive.
The Solution
Premium Choice picked OcNOS SP, running on UfiSpace white box hardware, for both projects:
Initial deployment: OcNOS-SP-IPBASE-2400 on the UfiSpace S9600-72XC aggregation router, an open networking platform built for 5G and broadband applications with up to 2.4 Tbps of switching capacity.
Second phase: OcNOS-SP-IPBASE-800 on UfiSpace S9510-28DC hardware to connect a fiber ring around the state of Maine, providing an easy path to 400G ports.
Optics: Premium Choice sourced interconnect optics from E.C.I. Networks to link the OcNOS routers.
Outcomes
The first cutover succeeded on its own terms, which is why Premium Choice committed to the second phase around the statewide ring. The core no longer sets the limit: the S9510-28DC opens an easy path to 400G ports, so the ring buildout can continue without another core replacement. Running the routing stack as software on open hardware also steps the operator off the vendor-dictated refresh cycle that made the last upgrade expensive.
An outdated Cisco core router is out of service, replaced by an OcNOS SP and UfiSpace stack.
Capacity and feature changes become a maintenance task rather than a capital project.
Separating software from hardware leaves the upgrade schedule with Premium Choice, not its supplier.
Why OcNOS
“The immediate availability of upgrade equipment, the robustness of the software, and, of course, the paradigm-changing price, made our upgrade choice relatively obvious,” said Andy Breda, Network Manager of Premium Choice Broadband. “Network disaggregation and smart software not only make today’s performance sufficient for any modern application, but upgrades in the future will consist of low-impact software updates versus the rip-and-replace strategy other vendors require.”
Afribone, an Internet service provider in the Republic of Mali, deployed a disaggregated router solution based on IP Infusion’s OcNOS network operating system to expand its MPLS network. The expansion lets Afribone connect fixed wireless enterprise customers to its backbone and deliver carrier-class connectivity to its data centers, while lowering both capital and operational expenses.
The Challenge
Founded in 1999, Afribone serves local private and public enterprises, including national and international NGOs, embassies and several United Nations organizations. As demand from fixed wireless enterprise customers and data center applications grew, Afribone needed to expand network capacity without locking itself into a single vendor or carrying the cost of traditional, purpose-built hardware.
Expand MPLS capacity to serve fixed wireless enterprise clients
Provide high availability, carrier-class connectivity to data centers
Reduce capital and operational expenses across the backbone
Migrate from legacy, purpose-built routers without disrupting existing services
The Solution
Afribone selected OcNOS running on white box routers to replace legacy hardware across its expanding network. The OcNOS-based disaggregated routers connect fixed wireless enterprise clients to Afribone’s backbone network and data center, and support the company’s transition to an MPLS-based backbone.
Eric Stevance, CEO of Afribone, said the company chose OcNOS for its feature-rich MPLS capabilities, carrier-class per-port VLAN support, and the ability to migrate seamlessly from the existing legacy network.
Outcomes
Backbone network evolving entirely to MPLS on OcNOS
Expanded network capacity by replacing legacy, purpose-built hardware with disaggregated white box routers
Lower capital and operational expenses contributing to a better total cost of ownership
Simplified operational model by selecting the best combination of hardware and software components and eliminating vendor lock-in
Why OcNOS
“In our initial evaluation, the open networking option was much more flexible and cost effective than other solutions,” said Eric Stevance, CEO of Afribone. “We have been using disaggregated networking with IP Infusion for over six years. In that time, OcNOS continues to outperform competitors on features versus price, dramatically changing our relationship with costs and ongoing expenses.”
For Afribone, OcNOS provides a common software layer across access, aggregation and data center roles, supporting the operator’s continued growth in Mali and across the region.
DIGI Group is the largest telecommunications provider in Romania, and it was scaling rapidly into four more European markets: Spain, Italy, Portugal, and Belgium. Millions of customers already relied on its services.
A traditional single-vendor stack would have forced DIGI to accept that vendor’s price, roadmap, and supply timeline across the entire footprint. The operator needed an OLT aggregation strategy that could scale internationally, adapt to per-market service requirements, and stay economical as new sites came online.
The Solution
DIGI selected IP Infusion’s OcNOS DC and OcNOS SP to run its OLT aggregation layer, deployed on white box hardware from UfiSpace and Edgecore. One network operating system across mixed hardware gives DIGI a uniform operational model regardless of which switch SKU sits in any given country.
OcNOS DC and OcNOS SP on white box hardware
UfiSpace and Edgecore platforms in the same deployment
OLT aggregation running in all five markets
A single NOS unifying ownership and operations across mixed silicon
Outcomes
The commercial gain is leverage: DIGI can price two qualified hardware vendors against each other, on cost and on lead time, without changing how the network is run. The operational gain is that a platform refresh in one country is no longer a migration, because the operating system and the switch underneath it move on separate schedules.
Competitive hardware sourcing, because a second qualified platform is always available
Each market tuned to local service needs without forking the operating system
Software lifecycles decoupled from hardware lifecycles across the whole footprint
An aggregation layer that scales with continued international expansion
Why OcNOS
“IP Infusion has delivered great results in terms of cost optimization, operational flexibility, and multi-vendor support. DIGI operates in Romania, Spain, Italy, Portugal and Belgium, providing state-of-the-art services to millions of customers. Our rapid expansion is underpinned by advanced, scalable and reliable networking solutions capable of adapting to the specific needs of each market,” said Valentin Popoviciu, Executive Director of DIGI Communications.
Dataduct Networks, a solution integrator and managed service operator focused on bridging the digital divide in underserved communities, modernized a municipal fiber network in Nova Scotia with IP Infusion’s OcNOS SP and integration support from FONEX. The upgrade adds advanced routing and switching capabilities to one of Canada’s open-access rural broadband networks, improving resilience for the communities, municipalities, and utilities that depend on it.
The Challenge
Dataduct Networks needed to modernize an optical broadband network serving Nova Scotia while keeping the architecture open to hardware from multiple vendors. The operator required sophisticated features for scalability and resiliency, along with the flexibility to tailor traffic engineering, network slicing, and security policies to specific municipal and utility customer needs.
The Solution
Working with open networking provider FONEX, Dataduct Networks selected IP Infusion’s OcNOS SP to power the upgrade. The deployment introduces advanced networking capabilities including Ethernet VPN (EVPN) and Segment Routing MPLS (SR-MPLS), and integrates hardware from multiple vendors under a single network operating system.
OcNOS SP as the routing and switching software layer
SR-MPLS for automated redundancy and traffic engineering
EVPN for service delivery across the aggregation network
Architecture co-designed with FONEX for multi-vendor hardware integration
Outcomes
SR-MPLS and EVPN automate redundancy across the network, ensuring rapid failover during disruptions and significantly reducing downtime. IP Infusion’s software lifted operational burden from Dataduct Networks’ engineering teams while giving operators customizable tools to optimize and manage the network as it scales.
Rapid failover and reduced downtime through automated redundancy
Lower operational burden on engineering teams
Multi-vendor hardware flexibility through open networking
Customizable traffic engineering, network slicing, and security controls
Why OcNOS
“This project demonstrates the importance of selecting the right software to tackle complex networking challenges and secure long-term operational success,” said Richard Bourret, CEO of Dataduct Networks. “As a market leader, we found IP Infusion, with FONEX’s support, to be the ideal long-term partner for this deployment.”
Pasquale Di Pierro, CEO of FONEX, added that the flexibility of open networking solutions proved invaluable for system upgrades of this kind, and that IP Infusion’s domain expertise in open networking operating systems is highly competitive in today’s market.
AnschlussWerk, a wireline network provider based in Traunstein, Bavaria, deployed IP Infusion OcNOS software on Edgecore hardware to modernize its backbone and aggregation network. The German operator selected OcNOS for interoperability with existing solutions and flexible expandability, giving the company a common platform that supports rapid growth across regional PoPs, large bandwidth customers, and wholesale services.
The Challenge
AnschlussWerk delivers Internet, telephony, video, and wholesale connectivity to other service providers, with a primary footprint in Bavaria reaching regional centers and rural areas. Supporting that mix of retail customers, infrastructure owners, and managed-service clients requires an aggregation layer that can scale without locking the operator into a single vendor’s roadmap.
The Solution
AnschlussWerk runs IP Infusion Aggregation Router software on two Edgecore platforms to handle traffic across its regional PoPs:
Edgecore 300G Cell Site Router aggregates traffic from 10G and smaller-bandwidth customers in regional PoPs.
Edgecore 2.4T Aggregation Router running OcNOS performs peering and traffic aggregation for the regional PoPs and large-bandwidth customers.
The combination gives AnschlussWerk a consistent OcNOS feature set across cell-site and core aggregation roles, with an upgrade path from its existing equipment.
Outcomes
A common OcNOS platform spans cell-site aggregation and 2.4T peering, simplifying operations across use cases.
Interoperability with existing solutions protects prior investments and keeps the migration incremental.
Flexible expandability lets AnschlussWerk add capacity for new bandwidth tiers and wholesale customers as demand grows.
Why OcNOS
“IP Infusion’s OcNOS software with Edgecore hardware were selected for providing a compelling set of features to accommodate our rapid growth,” said Werner Rades, CEO of AnschlussWerk. “OcNOS provides an easy and common platform across different use cases, with an upgrade path from existing solutions.”
Africa’s largest mobile network operator, MTN Group, was founded in 1994 and serves 280 million customers across 16 markets. Closed, single-vendor networking stacks fit that scale badly, because every capacity decision runs through one supplier’s price list and one supplier’s schedule.
MTN wanted the opposite arrangement. It set out to choose hardware and software independently, hold network costs down as it expands service delivery and digital access across the communities it serves, and cut capital expenditure while improving operational cost efficiency. That goal produced a new supplier category and a Request for Proposal to fill it.
The Solution
MTN Group designated IP Infusion as a software provider for its Open Transport and Disaggregated category, with OcNOS SP positioned for access and aggregation roles. NEC XON, the regional integrator partner, brings the deployment, integration, and support footprint MTN needs across the continent.
Product: OcNOS SP for access and aggregation
Selection path: Approved through MTN’s RFP for the Open and Disaggregated Networking Category, Software
Delivery partner: NEC XON, an African integrator
Ecosystem: MTN is a member of the Telecom Infra Project (TIP), contributing to SDN for Transport, OOPT, DDBR, and DCSG work streams
Outcomes
With IP Infusion on the approved list, MTN can assemble a multi-vendor networking ecosystem that interoperates across global suppliers instead of committing to one. The approval was granted alongside three other vendors, so the category leaves MTN with real substitutes at the software layer rather than a single roadmap to follow.
Hardware and software are now sourced separately in the access and aggregation layers, so a platform refresh no longer forces a software change
Reduced capital expenditure and operational cost efficiency are MTN’s stated reasons for forming the category, and the approved supplier list is how it holds vendors to them
Faster service introduction reaches the 280 million subscribers MTN already serves, across all 16 markets
Why OcNOS
OcNOS SP gives carriers an open network operating system that runs on standards-based hardware, so operators can streamline operations and reduce Total Cost of Ownership while keeping vendor choice open. As Lloyd Mphahlele, General Manager of Group Technology at MTN Group, put it: “By adopting open and disaggregated networking, we’re able to enhance the flexibility and efficiency of our network infrastructure. This approach not only drives innovation but also allows us to better serve our customers by improving service delivery and expanding access to the latest digital solutions.”
Onward, a full fiber network service provider based in Rancho Cucamonga, California, selected IP Infusion to power a wholesale upgrade of its networking platform. The company deployed OcNOS SP-MPLS to scale 100 Gbps core and aggregation services for its growing base of business and residential customers, with a single vendor accountable for the bundled solution.
The Challenge
Onward was outpacing its existing networking equipment as its full fiber footprint expanded. The legacy platform had become problematic over time, with stability issues and inadequate vendor support holding the network back.
Capacity ceilings limiting growth across residential and business services
Recurring stability challenges on the legacy networking product
Inadequate support from the prior vendor
The Solution
Onward deployed IP Infusion’s OcNOS SP-MPLS networking software for a wholesale upgrade in performance and capacity. UfiSpace’s S9600-32X provides the hardware platform for 100 Gbps core and aggregation services, and the UfiSpace S9502-12SM delivers a fanless, temperature-hardened option for connection to the core. IP Infusion supplied the bundled solution with a single point of contact for maintenance and support.
OcNOS SP-MPLS across access, aggregation, and core
UfiSpace S9600-32X for 100 Gbps core and aggregation
Integration with Onward’s netElastic deployment for CGNAT at the network edge
Outcomes
OcNOS interoperability made the cutover seamless with existing networks while opening a modern platform for new features. Onward gained the scalability and resilience it set out to achieve, with a software stack designed to grow alongside the business.
Seamless upgrade thanks to OcNOS interoperability with existing gear
100 Gbps capacity for core and aggregation services
Modern feature platform aligned to Onward’s growth plans
Single point of contact for ongoing maintenance and support
Why OcNOS
“Onward needed network scalability and resilience,” said Nick Keeler, CEO of Onward. “We were upgrading a previous networking platform that had become problematic over time. The OcNOS product worked well with several different vendors’ boxes and was an easy drop-in solution that can grow with us.”
ASOM-Net is a non-profit Danish ISP that delivers television, internet, and phone services to 75,000 subscribers through associated antenna associations. Because the member-owned organization is not-for-profit, it needed to scale capacity for high-speed broadband without the cost and inflexibility of traditional, vendor-locked network systems. The goal was a 400G aggregation network whose equipment footprint, power draw, and total cost of ownership stayed low enough to pass real savings back to members.
The Solution
ASOM-Net chose OcNOS SP running on Edgecore white box switches, paired with Smartoptics DCP-F modular amplifiers, with STORDIS GmbH providing distribution support across the European market. IP Infusion supplies the software, Edgecore the hardware, and Smartoptics the optical elements. The team plugged 400G ZR+ pluggable optics straight into the OcNOS switches, collapsing transport and routing into a single IPoDWDM design. Each Smartoptics DCP-F amplifier occupies just 1RU and goes in only where distance calls for amplification.
OcNOS SP running on Edgecore white box switches for aggregation
400G ZR+ pluggable optics inside the switches for IPoDWDM
Smartoptics DCP-F modular amplifiers used only where reach requires them
Distribution and integration support from STORDIS GmbH
Outcomes
An open, multi-vendor build let ASOM-Net pick best-of-breed elements at every layer of the network while improving cost efficiency. Carrying the optics inside the switches took a standalone transport layer out of the design: fewer boxes to buy, fewer to power, and fewer racks to fill. OcNOS integration with diverse hardware accelerated deployment and helped ASOM-Net deliver stronger services to its 75,000 subscribers.
A 400G IPoDWDM network in production across the ASOM-Net footprint
Lower cost of ownership, driven by reduced equipment count, power, and rack space
Amplification bought only for the spans that need reach, so shorter spans carry no extra hardware
Vendor flexibility retained, since each layer can be sourced on its own merits at the next refresh
Why OcNOS
“The disaggregated networking solution allows us to break free from the locked-in approach of traditional network systems,” said Kristian Pedersen, System Architect at ASOM-Net. “Now we have the flexibility to pick and choose best-of-breed network elements for every layer of the network. This is crucial for us to deliver the best value at a low cost to our members, as we are a not-for-profit business.”
Data center traffic continues to climb as generative AI and machine learning workloads scale, driving power consumption into the realm of social concern. Operators need low-cost ways to build high-speed links between data centers and distribute compute, while holding energy use down.
Traditional high-speed data center interconnects rely on tightly integrated network devices with a limited set of optical transceiver options. That model constrains investment efficiency and pushes operators toward open networking, where software and hardware are sourced separately and the optics remain a free choice.
The Solution
NTT works with eight partners, IP Infusion among them, on the IOWN Network Solution (400G). It provides a switch and router capable of long-distance 400Gbps transmission, built from three independent layers:
Network OS: software combining NTT and ACCESS/IP Infusion technologies, including the Beluganos OS that NTT developed together with IP Infusion.
White box switches and routers: hardware from Edgecore, UfiSpace, and other partners, with Broadcom silicon.
400G ZR/ZR+ optical transceivers: open-standard optics from FOC and NEC, equipped with NTT Innovative Devices’ Photonics-Electronics Convergence devices for low-power, stable transmission.
Customers can mix and match validated combinations of OS, white box, and optics to fit their requirements. Integrating transponder functions inside the switch and router cuts procurement and maintenance costs, power draw, rack space, and construction lead time.
Outcomes
The solution targets a 50% reduction in the construction and operation costs of network equipment, measured against the tightly integrated devices it displaces.
It targets a 40% reduction in power consumption, which answers the energy question data center operators now face publicly.
Inter-data-center links get simpler and cheaper to run, with 400G ZR/ZR+ carrying high-speed traffic over long distances and no separate transponder shelf to buy, power, or maintain.
NTT-AT and IP Infusion sell the platform and deliver it one-stop, from construction through 24/7 maintenance and operation.
Why OcNOS
OcNOS gives NTT a production-grade network OS that runs across multiple white box platforms and supports the IPoDWDM and 400G ZR/ZR+ use cases central to the IOWN vision. As Takehiko Kawazoe, Senior Executive Vice President at NTT, put it: “By implementing IOWN, which is a next-generation communication platform with high capacity, low latency, and low-power consumption, we will contribute to realize a well-being society.”
Race Communications had outgrown its Layer 2 ring design. A ring dictates the path traffic takes, and Race needed a flexible IP/MPLS network able to carry residential and business fiber growth across California. In 2023 the operator introduced California’s first residential 10G fiber internet service, and its plant today reaches more than 2.6 million feet of fiber optic line. Whatever replaced the rings had to interoperate cleanly with the equipment already in the ground, and keep interoperating with it while the new build went up around it.
The Solution
Race selected OcNOS SP as the aggregation platform for the new IP/MPLS build. Two things decided it. OcNOS implements the protocols Race was already running, so the design did not have to bend to suit the software. And an open networking platform let Race choose its own hardware and plan against predictable lead times for it.
Outcomes
Migration by site, not by flag day. The legacy L2 ring network and the new IP/MPLS aggregation layer interoperate, so Race converts sites on its own schedule while customers stay in service.
No protocol rewrite. The new aggregation layer speaks the same protocols the team had already implemented, which keeps the operational model the engineers know.
Open networking economics. Hardware availability, equipment pricing, lead times, support, and professional services all weighed in favor of the open platform rather than against it.
Headroom to 2030. The aggregation layer is sized for Race’s 2030 target of more than 350,000 homes and businesses connected, so capacity arrives site by site.
Why IP Infusion
“IP Infusion was the natural choice, given the flexibility of hardware availability, but far more importantly, due to the robust implementation of the protocols Race already had implemented,” said Carlos Alcantar, CTO for Race Communications. “Even with an open networking solution, we received solid protocol implementations, good lead times and support, amazing professional services and good equipment pricing.”
