Affirmed Private Network Service
Affirmed Private Network Service (APNS) is a fully managed private networks solution that enables mobile network operators and mobile service providers (MSPs) to quickly and securely deliver private LTE/5G network services to the enterprise. APNS features advanced technology from Affirmed and Microsoft Azure that combines the power of mobile core technology with the cloud for optimal cost efficiency, performance, flexibility, and scalability. Affirmed Private Network Service is the only mobile network operator integrated solution, enabling complete mobility across public and private operator networks.
With Affirmed Private Network Service, operators can offer enterprises a carrier-grade private network experience to run and operate business-critical applications that require low latency, high bandwidth, and end-to-end security. By leveraging a common cloud framework, APNS can deliver secure mobility across multiple enterprise sites. The combination of cloud automation and simplified operations management enables operators to scale private networks to 1000s of enterprise edge sites.
Affirmed Private Network Service offers the ability to deploy the entire mobile core at the edge of the network, all in cloud or in a hybrid mode with control plane on cloud and user plane on the enterprise edge. APNS enables operators and MSPs to easily manage, scale, and sell private networks, including private LTE/5G network services to enterprise customers, driving higher profitability and delivering more value to enterprises.
Why Private Mobile Network?
Private mobile networks are at the center of enterprise digital transformation. With a dedicated mobile network, enterprises can run next-generation applications through 5G’s reliable connectivity, security, and enhanced coverage. LTE/5G networks provide enterprises with the low latency and high bandwidth needed to run mission-critical industrial applications and improve productivity. In addition, private networks ensure the highest level of security required for data privacy and data localization. Private networks address the limitations of coverage, reliability, and security of the current wireless systems.
What are the attributes of a Private Mobile Network?
When selecting a private mobile network platform, operators should look for an end-to-end solution that is easy to deploy and manage, delivers low latency and high reliability, supports compliance and regulatory requirements for security, and provides the flexibility to add new use cases alongside business-critical applications.
What industry use cases does private mobile network enable?
Smart Manufacturing/Industry 4.0
Secure connectivity engine for automating and improving operations
Transportation & Logistics
Real-time transfer of information between multiple assets without any additional infrastructure costs
Oil & Gas
Driving down costs for managing offshore assets through reliable connectivity
Healthcare
Autonomous private networks for strict privacy and improved user experience for visitors
Mining
Reliable connectivity at edge sites improving workplace safety and productivity
Affirmed Private Network Service Functional Architecture Overview
The Benefits of Affirmed Private Network Service to the Operator
Ease of Management
MSPs can quickly and easily manage private mobile networks for enterprise customers through the automation and orchestration capabilities of cloud management portal. It also allows MSPs to provide a portal view to enterprise customers for self-service tasks such as SIM provisioning, traffic slicing, and overall service health monitoring.
Deep Business Insights
The integrated subscriber and network insights provide valuable information to the operator and their customers. Within the Azure environment, operators and enterprises can leverage powerful AI, machine learning, and analytics tools such as Azure Power BI to gain new insights that can drive smarter network and business intelligence decisions.
A Rich Partner Ecosystem
The combination of Azure and APNS allows MSPs and operators to deliver a fully managed infrastructure by bringing together an end-to-end solution consisting of the best-of-breed mix of RAN, SIM, and Azure services that they can select from the Azure marketplace.
Flexible Deployment Models
APNS uses Affirmed’s Control and User Plane Separation (CUPS) technology. Through its distributed core, APNS supports all deployment models – standalone for site survivability or data residency, a distributed mode featuring centralized control and distributed data planes at the edge for faster processing and low latency, or all on-cloud for use cases such as a massive number of sensor-type devices requiring longer battery life.
Integrated Value-Added Services
Affirmed’s carrier-grade, high-performance mobile core technology provides one-touch integrated services for enterprises including network slicing, DPI, NAT, VPN, security, differentiated QoS policies, and SLAs.
Cloud Economics
Operators can leverage Azure for data lakes and storage to complement their investments made on the mobile edge. This allows enterprises to democratize the data. It also saves on precious storage space at the edge. Operators further benefit from the developer ecosystem to drive innovations in edge applications.
Data Privacy
APNS supports enterprise data compliance, privacy, and regulatory requirements through data security and localized data processing.
Simplified Operations
Through Affirmed Networks’ Private Network Service Manager technology, operators can deploy, monitor, and operate the private mobile core network on the Azure platform. Use RBAC to allow enterprise to have limited view and control SIM provisioning and traffic treatment.
MNO Integrated Mobility
APNS provides mobility across multiple sites of an enterprise. Interworking with operator networks allows MSPs to offer a full solution for mobility with private networks by keeping enterprise data local in a dedicated private network while allowing devices, employees, and visitors/partners full mobility between private and public networks.
Meet the Technology Behind Affirmed Private Network Service
Affirmed Carrier-Grade Private LTE and 5G Core
Affirmed’s cloud-native mobile core delivers up to 99.999% service availability and interworks with any 3GPP-compliant LTE and 5G NR radio technology for true interoperability.
Azure Private Mobile Edge Computing (MEC)
Azure Private MEC is a small footprint extension of the Azure cloud that can be placed on premises. Azure Private MEC is based on the Azure Stack Edge platform and delivers low latency, high-performance computing with cloud-like efficiencies.
Affirmed Private Network Service Manager
Affirmed’s Service Manager provides automation and orchestration capabilities through a cloud management portal that allows MSPs to quickly deploy services for private networks.
Azure Network Function Manager
Azure Network Function Manager is a fully managed cloud-native orchestration service that enables customers to deploy and provision network functions on Azure Stack Edge Pro using the Azure portal.
Azure Cloud Services
Azure cloud services are the preferred Infrastructure-as-a-Service platform to deliver APNS as managed application in the cloud.
Affirmed Customers Stories
Inventec Selects Affirmed for Private 5G Network to Drive Industry 4.0 Initiative for Advanced IoT, Automation and Smart Manufacturing
Netmore Selects Affirmed Networks to Enable the Delivery of Private LTE Enterprise Networks for 4G, 5G and IoT Offerings