Unlocking the Benefits of Multi-Transport Networking
Today’s businesses depend on continuous connectivity to keep transactions moving, employees productive, applications accessible, and customers connected. A network disruption can impact revenue, customer experience, and day-to-day operations. As organizations become more distributed and dependent on digital applications, a resilient, multi-transport network can help reduce reliance on a single connectivity path while providing the flexibility to use the right connectivity options for different locations and business requirements.
Build Resilience with Diverse Connectivity Paths
Path diversity is an important part of network resiliency. Simply having two connections does not always provide true diversity, especially if both depend on the same local infrastructure. By combining different transport technologies, organizations can create more diverse connectivity paths and reduce dependence on a single access technology or network path.
Cable and fiber tend to be the first choice for primary connectivity. With the expansion of 5G wireless connections, however, many locations are implementing a wireless-first architecture and using 5G as the primary WAN connection for the site.
It’s important for businesses to select diverse connectivity options to stay connected when a primary connection is disrupted. Options can include 5G, 4G/LTE from a different carrier, or Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite connectivity. The right combination will depend on factors such as coverage, performance requirements, availability, and the needs of each location.
LEO satellite connectivity provides another option for creating a diverse network path because the connection to the site does not rely on the same local last-mile infrastructure as fiber or cable. LEO can complement wired and wireless connectivity and provide another way to reach locations when terrestrial connectivity is disrupted, unavailable, or delayed.
Wireless and LEO can also serve as complementary connectivity options. 4G/5G provides a flexible alternative to wired broadband, while LEO adds a path that does not depend on the same local fiber or cable infrastructure and can extend connectivity to remote or underserved locations. Learn more about how wireless and LEO can work together to create multi-path diversity in the first article of our wireless and LEO blog series.
Beyond backup connectivity, having an additional connection can help with data transfers and application traffic during peak utilization. Not all data traffic is created equal. Imagine multi-lane highways that are split between HOV and express traffic and local/freight traffic. Those looking to go quickly between two destinations will use the express lanes, whereas local traffic and freight vehicles use lanes designed for large bulk transport or local exits.
In a similar way, data traffic can be categorized and routed. Processing a credit card payment needs a low-latency connection, whereas streaming video or moving bulk database backups can have different bandwidth, performance, and latency requirements.
With multiple transports available, organizations have greater flexibility to route traffic based on application requirements, network conditions, or business policies. This moves multi-transport networking beyond traditional backup connectivity and helps businesses make better use of available connections while maintaining alternate paths when disruptions occur.
Managing Multiple Connectivity Paths
Maximizing the value of multiple transports requires active monitoring and intelligent management. Capabilities such as automated failover, traffic management, and application-aware routing can help organizations make better use of available connectivity and respond when network conditions change.
Hughes brings terrestrial broadband, 4G/5G wireless, and satellite connectivity, including LEO, together as part of a managed, multi-transport approach. Connectivity can be selected based on the requirements of specific locations and managed across different transport types rather than as separate networks. We utilize artificial intelligence and machine learning to monitor data traffic and when anomalies arise, make proactive actions or notifications to avoid downtime and reduce the burden on IT teams.
Hughes Managed SD-WAN helps organizations make better use of multiple connectivity paths by intelligently routing application traffic across available connections based on business policies and real-time network conditions. Its Active/Active capability allocates traffic across two active paths, while 24/7 WAN management, automated failover, and web-based network performance management help organizations maximize the value of multiple connectivity paths, improve resiliency, and simplify distributed network operations.
Another tool is the Hughes Active Power Edge, leveraging AI/ML to detect and resolve network outages while monitoring power usage at remote locations. The Active Power Edge improves network continuity by automatically restarting connected devices when service degradation requires equipment restart. This automation removes the need to interrupt staff, ask them to locate a piece of network hardware, and cycle the power.
Monitoring, traffic management, and automated failover can help organizations maintain connectivity when network conditions change. When one transport is unavailable, having another diverse path available can help keep critical applications and business operations connected.
A multi-transport approach also gives enterprises flexibility to match connectivity to the needs of individual locations. A site with readily available fiber or cable may use terrestrial broadband as its primary connection, with wireless or satellite providing another path. A remote, temporary, or newly opened location may rely more heavily on wireless or LEO when traditional broadband is unavailable or delayed.
Using multiple transport types, including wireline, wireless, and satellite connectivity, can help enterprises build greater flexibility and resiliency into their network architecture. Hughes supports organizations across network planning, deployment, operations, and ongoing support, helping reduce the need for IT teams to coordinate multiple connectivity technologies and providers independently.
The goal is to use the right mix of connectivity options to help keep business operations running when network conditions change.
Explore the Wireless + LEO Series
Discover how wireless and LEO connectivity can help enterprises build more resilient networks, extend connectivity beyond traditional broadband, and reduce the business risks associated with relying on a single network path.
Part 1: Multi-Path Diversity: How Wireless and LEO Improve Network Resiliency
Part 2: Where Fiber Can’t Reach: How Wireless and LEO Expand Connectivity Beyond Traditional Networks
Part 3: The Hidden Cost of a Single Network Path – Coming soon
Discover how our managed services offerings can transform your network.