CMC NETWORKS by Outlook Publishing

CMC NETWORKS

Remaining current and competitive in a dynamic domain

C M C

N E T W O R K S

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al reach is set to strengthen its position at the forefront of Africa for many years to come

Project Manager: Kane Weller

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or almost 30 years, global telecommunications carrier, CMC Networks has put the customer first, and as such has compiled one of the most globally advanced – yet locally considered – offerings in the market. Incepted in 1989 by Grant Walker, its evolution over the years has been vast and ever-adherent to fluctuating expectations, but last year ushered in one of the Company’s most important milestones to date. “Nasdaq-listed, The Carlyle Group acquired a majority shareholding in February of 2017,” shares CEO, Marisa Trisolino. This latest investment compounded what was already the most extensive and largest managed pan-African network in operation today; CMC proudly boasting 78 points of presence across 50 countries. It is a committed enabler for the global wholesale carrier scene on the continent and overall representing a total of 104 points of presence around the world, incorporating the USA, Europe, UAE, India, Asia and Australia. “In addition, CMC has an extensive Middle Eastern (MENET) and Western Asia (ASNET) network, which is extended via its wholesale partner programme,” Trisolino adds. “CMC delivers and manages a vast number of connections for our wholesale customers and is a carrier-neutral vendor, not participating in the enterprise space. This is a key and significant USP and as a result we service end-clients indirectly across every vertical and industry.” Ultimately, CMC’s differentiator derives from putting the customer first across each applicable realm. Listening to every requirement and formulating a bespoke solution accordingly has resulted in a host of longstanding relationships with in-country providers. This in turn aids final delivery according to what

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CMC delivers and manages a vast number of connections for our wholesale customers and is a carrier-neutral vendor, not participating in the enterprise space

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each customer needs, irrespective of the geography, political situation or any other external complexity that threatens the situation. “The customer is King,” Trisolino affirms. “We cannot repeat this enough. We go the extra mile to deliver both simple and complex solutions. CMC is very agile from a process and delivery perspective meeting our customer requirements from design, to pricing, and final delivery. “While our competition presents a challenge by engaging with in-country providers, we have already built a price book which most customers have at hand. Ultimately, we remove the complexities of conducting business in a very complex region, so that our customers can focus on their expertise.”

Future ready

CMC’s second core differentiator in Africa appears in its sheer scale and scope. Nobody in the market can promote the same extensive footprint

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We go the extra mile to deliver both simple and complex solutions. CMC is very agile from a process and delivery perspective meeting our customer requirements from design, to pricing, and final delivery

as CMC and as a result, the Company becomes more of a local entity to prospective customers. Improved cycle times, reduced risks and more turnkey operations are further benefits that come from being so vastly spread, and it then comes as no surprise that the business sits at the top of business partners’ and potential clients’ wish lists. “CMC works with many of the world’s largest telecommunications companies who serve customers from every vertical, predominantly across Africa and the Middle East,” Trisolino says. “CMC’s standing in the market is based on our ability and agility to deliver from a single circuit in a mature market, to a highly complex solution across several hard to reach geographies.” In recent years CMC has strived for further diversification by pivoting from being an African provider to a global provider by establishing points of presence in Europe, the Americas and Middle East with operational and

OOR Data Network, SAE is a full-scale, Class A internet solution and networks infrastructure provider based in Cairo, Egypt. NOOR is proud to be known as the premium quality service provider with professional support and out-of-the-box non-traditional solutions. With almost 20 years in the market, NOOR pioneered creative and advanced technologies for its clients, from the free internet dialup (0777) to ADSL Broadband and MPLS-VPN services. Today, NOOR boasts a wide portfolio of clients from local, multinational and governmental organisations that span all sectors. NOOR’s non-traditional, customer-centric style has resonated well and captured the attention and loyalty of many of the biggest corporations and brands in the region who can attest to NOOR’s attention to detail and technical command of the market. According to NOOR’s CEO Basel Dalloul, “We are defined not just by what we say, but by what we do, how we do it and the challenges we overcome for our clients. NOOR combines world-class technology, experience, highly trained resources and the ability to truly understand and respect the exact needs of our clients. NOOR has an ongoing vision to enable people to connect and interact, creating infinite possibilities”. NOOR President and COO, Fadi Jundi, further adds: “Today, technology touches every aspect of our lives; at NOOR we make sure our clients experience this with the greatest simplicity and reliability. NOOR continuously evolves its services and solutions to serve different technological needs in people’s lives,

leveraging resources and creative thinking to cater for tomorrow’s demands. Rather than being vendor oriented our team is technology driven allowing us to better evaluate vendors and custom solutions that are in the best interest of our clients, both technically and financially.” Empowered by a strict regimen of in-house training, external vendor training and hands-on experience, NOOR engineers insist on going the extra mile in helping resolve customer challenges often exceeding the scope of contracted work to ensure the smooth and harmonic operation of our customer. “We work with clients to understand their goals and design service packages that take them where they want to go at every stage of their growth with us,” President & COO Fadi Jundi elaborates. NOOR provides specific standalone services and complete integrated service packages that enables clients to use NOOR as a one-stop shop for both local and international services with a wide offering that includes data & internet connectivity services to DDOS & managed services cemented by partnerships with regional players most notable that with CMC Networks offering access to one of the largest pan African networks. With two decades of unique customer centric experience, the NOOR brand cemented its position as a niche boutique provider for home users, businesses, and government agencies.

T +20 2 770 2260 E info@noor.net www.noor.net

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AIRTEL BUSINESS

irtel is the leading telecom operator in the world – third largest globally and undisputed number one in India. Overall, we have network presence in 18 countries across Africa with a cumulative investment of US$11 billion in the region. Airtel takes pride in serving more than 90 million subscribers in Africa with presence of 99 MPLS PoPs supplemented with 3 path connectivity from West & East Africa and Wireline & VSAT connectivity to landlocked countries in the region.

technical staff on hand to support similarly multinational customers across different time zones. Trisolino continues: “Simultaneously, we have procured capacity across multiple undersea cables to improve our SLAs to support the needs of our wholesale customers. We have anticipated the shift from MPLS and Layer 2 services to internet services and as a result we have placed a significant focus on internet products and solutions to meet a growing customer demand. “The move to SDN is yet another key focus for CMC, ensuring all our wholesale customers and their endcustomers are and will be future ready.” Ongoing capital expenditures are a familiar and potent occurrence at CMC, primarily based around technological advancements. The adoption of an SD-WAN (software define wide area network) strategy has recently been complemented by an SD-WAN/NFV access strategy, while a partnership

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Besides, we are a major player in sub-Saharan Africa with partnerships with more than 60 major operators, carriers and OEMs in the region. With our investment in GBI, MENA Cable, Airtel has further consolidated its leading position as a global capacity provider. Our capacities in WACS, SAT3, MAINONE, ACE, GLO1 to connect West Africa to Europe and Teams, EASSY, SEACOM to connect East Africa to London and India. Our local and global presence coupled with innovative solutions gives us a significant reach in Africa and a brand name, which is synonymous with reliability & flexibility.

We have anticipated the shift from MPLS and Layer 2 services to internet services and as a result we have placed a significant focus on internet products and solutions to meet a growing customer demand

We have a seven-year-long partnership with CMC working together in various geographies including Gabon, Niger, Congo, Madagascar, India, Bangladesh, Singapore, Croatia, Romania, Nigeria, Macedonia, Mongolia, Nepal, Srilanka, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia, Turkey, Philippines, and Cambodia. We join forces to deliver multiple enterprise grade services in Africa and Asia, harnessing bilateral opportunities that create business value for both the companies. Our offering includes IPLC, IP, MPLS, colocation, DIA, and more. Our relationship is built on trust, and we depend on each other’s networks and working teams to provide an exceptional experience to the end customer.

E airtelglobalbusiness@airtel.com

www.airtel.in/business

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BANDWIDTH & CLOUD SERVICES

andwidth and Cloud Services Group (BCS Group) is a wholesale telecommunications provider, operating under licenses in Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda, and serving Burundi, DRC and South Sudan at their respective border points. CMC Networks has been a customer of BCS Group since the Group’s inception in 2010, with BCS Group providing CMC Networks with local loop circuit services and colocation of points of presence in Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda. BCS also provides IPLC circuits from Nairobi to London, Nairobi to Kampala and Nairobi to Kigali. All services are all backed up by support services.

T +254 20 266 7249 E info@bcs-ea.com

www.bcs-ea.com with Kontron has facilitated the provision of an Open Source hardware platform which will be the basis of executing this implementation. “CMC has partnered with 128 Technologies to enable our next generation, session aware vector based routing platform to provide our SD-WAN offering. the 128T platform provides lower bandwidth overhead, zero trust security and dynamic realtime traffic management for its Core and Access SD-WAN implementations,” says Geoff Dornan, CTO for CMC Networks. “This is a first for Africa and will be a game-changer for both CMC and our customers alike.” Then, the Company also strives to upgrade and improve its core facilities on a regular basis. Trisolino notes: “We built a new Network Operations Centre five years ago and now have all the Tiers in one location, ranging from Tier 1 basic support and call logging, to Tier 5 OPS engineering, fixing and resolving

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CBINET

We built a new Network Operations Centre five years ago and now have all the Tiers in one location...

s a pioneer of the connectivity services in Burundi, CBINET has always worked to transform connectivity into a powerful tool for corporates and individuals. With highly skilled staff working in a multicultural environment, CBINET is also a major IT integrator in Burundi. Moreover, with a strong reputation as a customer-orientated company, CBINET is the preferred partner for the key ICT players who want to extend their footprint in Burundi. Therefore, we are proud to partner with CMC Networks in various IT solutions in Burundi since we share the same values. T (+257) 22 24 17 06 | (+257) 76 18 10 10 (+257) 76 18 22 22 | (+257) 76 18 55 55 (+257) 76 18 58 58 | SMS 76 215 000 E info@cbinet

www.cbinet.net

Your Mission. Our Network. BCS Group enables mobile network operators and internet service providers to reach millions of customers, providing secure and reliable bandwidth and connectivity services over their robust fiber network infrastructure. The Group operates under licenses in Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda, and serves Burundi, DRC and South Sudan at their respective border points. BCS Group services and solutions include: • IP Transit • Global and Regional Connectivity • Dark Fiber • Colocation • Fibre co-build • EPC contractor

info@bcs-ea.com | www.bcs-ea.com

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VIPNET

IPNET, the Ivorian telecom services provider, was formed 19 years ago and is a leading alternative operator in Côte d’Ivoire. The Group is now able to deliver services to Burkina Faso through its subsidiary VIPNET BF and also has presence with the local partnerships in Mali and Senegal with plans for expansion into Niger and Mauritania. The Company is a provider of data transmission services and IT solutions for: • Corporate clients (large enterprises, SMEs, NGOs, public administrations, multinational corporations, international institutions) and carriers, MNOS and telecom and digital service providers. Xxxxx xxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxx xxxxxxxx xxx

T +225 22 52 62 00, +225 22 52 62 01 E info@VIPNET.CI | vipnet@VIPNET.CI

www.vipnet.ci

the issue. This also included Projects Assurance in the same space, ensuring better visibility on the network and allowing issues to be resolved faster, leading to increased productivity. “CMC has also built a new location to allow for the growth of our hosting facility and to accommodate our new satellite hub that was installed at our network premises. Meanwhile, internal office upgrades were done allowing the Sales and SCM teams to be in the same area. The ultimate goal is to have our teams integrated and accessible, so our clients’ requests and needs can be attended to in real time and efficiently.”

Best in class

Not only does enhanced streamlining aid internal processes, but it also helps the business to remain more attentive and vigilant to changing industry trends. Trisolino has noticed three major industry shifts, in particular moving

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CMC has also built a new location to allow for the growth of our hosting facility and to accommodate our new satellite hub that was installed at our network premises

| VIPNET.CI

info@VIPNET.CI / vipnet@VIPNET.CI | www.vipnet.ci | +225 22 52 62 00 / +225 22 52 62 01

www.ipxeg.com

E: contact@ipxeg.com E: support@ipxeg.com T: +240 333 098 452 T: +240 333 093 828

Brilliant Solutions Co Ltd is a leader of IT solutions across the Eastern African Region bringing together a team of talented engineers and professionals to provide high quality service to our clients. We guarantee you that our skills,techniques and knowledge will provide the value added services you seek.

Services

• Data center design, implementation and improvement • Data center passive and electromechanical components • Network design, implementation, documentation & testing • Unified Communication System. • IT end to end security solutions and audits. • System Integration and IT equipment supply.

• Broadband Internet Services [WiMAX & 4G LTE] • Dedicated Business Internet • Metro-Ethernet Fiber Connectivity & National Fiber Connectivity • O3b Satellite Solution • Dedicated VSAT Service • Offshore Stabilized VSAT System • Networking Solutions • Wireless & Wired Infrastructure

Brilliant Solutions Co Ltd, Alriyadh, Block 7, House 184, Khartoum, Sudan Tel: +249155773917

• Unified Communication & Collaboration Solutions • IT Procurement Services • Facility Security Solutions

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from secure, predictable Layer 2 and MPLS services to a variation of internet solutions; the usage of SDN to manage the flow of traffic to the data centre or head office to drive out costs and improve efficiency; and the use of cloud services. “To address the former, we have created a larger internet product offering providing the customer a choice from a contended unmanaged to uncontended managed service, where CMC can deliver the service in-country or internationally depending on the customer’s requirements,” Trisolino details. “CMC’s Supply Chain has a strong focus on obtaining and managing the best in class ISPs in the countries we operate. “For the second trend, a number of our customers have adopted an SD-WAN strategy. With CMC’s broad basket of internet, MPLS and Layer 2 products, we are able to provide the customer a shopping list to choose

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CMC Networks has a rigorous approach to attracting, developing and retaining talented people with the right skills and competencies to contribute to the attainment of our business strategies

from in order to build their SD-WAN service. We also engage with multiple in-country providers to ensure there is no single point of failure.” Addressing the final – cloud-based – trend, CMC has positioned itself through its SDN/SD-WAN strategy to provide hosting facilities for software developers and/or customers, to create their own private cloud services in order to service their customers in that respective country or region. By keeping ahead of the overall industry curve, CMC has affirmed its position as an entirely trusted provider and advisor, who can apply its “African expertise” to help walk its customers through upcoming regional or sector challenges. Trisolino surmises: “Our commercial propositions factor in all these complexities, keeping the costs minimal and easy to track. CMC continues to develop and invest in an innovative product portfolio and we

TN Pop’s in Europe London and Frankfurt Direct Links from Europe to • Windhoek • Johannesburg/ Cape Town • Lusaka • Gaborone • Luanda Active Routes on multiple Submarine Cables • WACS • SEACOM • EASSy • SAT3 IP Upstream and Peering • Connected to DECIX • Multiple Tier 1 Provider • All Major South African Provider Flexible Offerings and Solutions • TDM Services • IP Upstream • Global IP VPN Solutions • Carrier Ethernet Multiple Connections to • Zambia • South Africa • Angola • Botswana • Zimbabwe

are currently executing our SDN rollout and team collaboration across multiple which will allow a variation of product geographies.” Enveloping notions of CSR within its offerings and improved SLAs.” HR strategy, CMC goes on to ingratiate itself in each local region by offering Connecting the unconnected work experience to interns and NQFInevitably, it isn’t just potential aligned learnerships in the disciplines customers and business partners of supply chain, project management, who are attracted to CMC’s approach IT systems support and business either. Moreover, the business has administration for unemployed cemented its position as an employer youths. Bursaries are also on offer to of choice too – a responsibility which tertiary institutions for the Company’s is taken very seriously and rewarded via a host of training, development and employees. And by ensuring the sustainability local initiatives. of its own talent pool and ongoing skill“CMC Networks has a rigorous approach to attracting, developing and retaining talented people with the right skills and competencies to contribute to the attainment of our business strategies,” the CEO confirms. “We have energetic, customer-centric individuals who are motivated by operating in a culture which encourages high performance, personal career growth

sets, the business looks to hold onto its number one position in Africa. “We continue to introduce industry firsts including the deployment of a fully Open Source SDN network,” Trisolino concludes. “We can also provide end-to-end SD-WAN services with our agreements with multiple in-country service providers. With our SD-WAN services, we can provide various virtualised security, routing and Wan Optimisation Network Functions depending on customer needs and policies. “We have also assisted private cloud developers and local ISPs to deploy cloud services in the countries they operate in, resulting in uplifting economies and connecting the unconnected. “Through strategies such as these, CMC will continue to be at the forefront of the latest technology deployments across Africa in the years to come.”

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4B Naivasha Road Sunninghill Johannesburg South Africa Tel: +27 11 517 8400 media@cmcnetworks.net www.cmcnetworks.net