Beyond gigabit: the need for 10 Gbps in business networks

Where a 1 Gbps corporate network was once the gold standard, the dominance of real-time video now demands higher bandwidth. 10 Gbps solutions are now emerging to provide super-responsive connectivity, right across campuses.

According to leading networking provider Huawei, the ubiquity of video traffic (now typically 80% of overall traffic) is driving the need for 10 Gbps connectivity. This not only includes the hundreds or thousands of workers simultaneously on video calls, but also high bandwidth video streams used in 3D quality monitoring on manufacturing lines.

“As digital transformation accelerates, workers expect to be able to work anytime, anywhere – it has become the new normal,” says Liu Jianning, Vice President of Huawei’s Data Communication Marketing & Solutions Sales Dept.

Liu points out that Wi-Fi is now the primary network for almost all devices in a workplace – Ethernet can no longer be considered the high-performance network with Wi-Fi as a best effort afterthought.

Finally, Liu says, it’s not just a matter of having high bandwidth to serve the number of concurrent users and devices, but also low latency. A network that can handle large amounts of data throughput can still be crippled by delay bottlenecks in the network’s two-way responsiveness.

The post gigabit era

Today’s 1 Gbps networks are reaching their limits. Liu points to IDC data showing that audio and video traffic is currently growing 30% year on year. “Many organisations are now finding it a significant challenge to ensure consistent audio and video experience,” he says.

This is where the latest wireless standard, Wi-Fi 7, is designed to step in. It offers a viable alternative to fixed-line Ethernet, supporting high-bandwidth, low-latency traffic demanded by modern enterprise environments.

“Huawei launched the industry’s first enterprise-class Wi-Fi 7 AP, with a record-high rate of 18.67 Gbps,” Liu explains.

As much importance as speed has, though, Huawei’s Wi-Fi 7 access points leap to provide 30% more coverage than competitors’ devices using dynamic-zoom smart antenna technology.

Huawei designs its network components for energy efficiency. Its new Wi-Fi 7 access points use a simplified network architecture that integrates multiple networks, reducing cabling needs with a green, low-carbon design.

Huawei’s answer: CloudCampus Solution

Huawei’s CloudCampus is distinguished by the quality of connectivity it provides – excellent wireless office performance with a particular focus on smooth, consistent audio and video experience.

Huawei’s solution recognises and prioritises mainstream audio and video applications, guaranteeing that users won’t have to worry about video delays or glitches that can be caused by network congestion.

Simplifying network operation and maintenance

Huawei’s CloudCampus network is an intelligent and efficient operation and maintenance (O&M) solution, which makes managing the network significantly easier for IT teams.

Liu points out that the exponential growth of IoT endpoints, APs and switches, network complexity is at an all-time high.

“IT teams know that network O&M urgently needs navigation map-like functions,” says Liu, which is what Huawei delivers with iMaster NCE-Campus.

This platform offers complete visibility and control, enabling IT teams to manage traffic, monitor performance in real-time, and swiftly pinpoint and resolve issues, often within minutes.

Huawei’s CloudCampus also anticipates the rapid growth in the number of devices being added to the networks. It is designed to scale seamlessly, ensuring connectivity and management remains smooth to support real-time demand.

Real results: 10 Gbps CloudCampus around the world

Where customers have implemented Huawei’s 10 Gbps CloudCampus solution, they’ve achieved transformative results.

A bank in Italy previously had difficulty achieving consistent performance for audio and video – particularly in all-hands video broadcasts from the CEO to staff which repeatedly buffered. The lack of consistency in network performance led to nearly 20 complaints from executives to the IT department.

As onsite IT attempts failed to resolve the problem, the bank looked to Huawei for help – deploying Huawei’s audio and video assurance solution to identify and fix the root cause.

“Since deploying Huawei’s audio and video assurance solution, the bank’s IT department has received no complaints from executives,” Liu said, noting the CEO has been particularly happy with the outcome.

Likewise, a super-large commercial complex in China with 30,000 connected network devices also faced a challenge managing three different physical networks. By implementing CloudCampus, it reduced its network costs by 30%.

One thing’s for sure: network traffic and the number of connected devices will only continue to grow, Liu says. Huawei’s CloudCampus solution is designed from the ground to bring scalable flexibility; and  it does so by continuously evolving to meet this growth.

Find out how 10 Gbps CloudCampus can help your business achieve greater productivity here.