sasag Kabelkommunikation AG relies on software-based access platform
As a leading regional service provider, sasag delivers Internet, mobile, TV and telephony to residential and corporate customers in the Schaffhausen region. In 2019, sasag upgraded its DOCSIS network to 1 Gbps. Over 90% of households in the region receive the signal from the sasag headend.
Local proximity and technology leadership: the ultimate combination
sasag sees enormous opportunities in the rapid development of digitization and is focusing not only on local proximity but also on technology leadership. In May 2019, sasag became the first cable network in Switzerland to make its network gigabit-capable.
But the status quo at a high level is not an option for CEO Daniel Kyburz. In addition to the high-performance cable network, he is building a forward-looking access platform that will allow sasag to respond more quickly to changing needs while reducing operating costs.
At first glance, this seems impossible, and truthfully, these goals cannot be achieved with traditional technologies and architectures. BN was able to convince sasag of the benefits of a software-based access platform and demonstrate that a shorter time-to-market for new services is possible with lower operating costs at the same time.
Interview with Daniel Kyburz, director sasag Kabelkomunikation AG
How easy was it for them to integrate the new solution?
BN did not promise us too much and the integration into our system landscape proved to be very easy.
Thanks to the open standard interfaces and the support of our parent company WWZ Telekom, we were able to successfully complete the integration within a few days. From conventional systems, we rather expected several months.
Do they need additional expertise for the new platform?
The Calix software-based access platform is easy to understand, deploy, manage and scales very well. This is incredibly valuable for a cable operator that has no experience with PON.
Isn't such a platform more expensive to purchase than conventional solutions?
The investment is comparable to conventional solutions. But for us, it's not just the acquisition costs that are of interest, but rather the total costs. And here, the reduction in operating costs due to simplified network architectures and automated processes has an extremely positive effect.
This has a direct impact on the profitability of the company in an environment where the price of the services offered is largely determined by the market. After all, cost leadership is a decisive competitive advantage.
What else is planned?
sasag is currently in the process of building a second technical site in the city of Schaffhausen. In the future, this site will be used to serve the northern part of the canton and city. We expect to put a second system into operation at this site as early as 2023.
