Background
Badr University in Cairo (BUC) is one of the most prestigious universities in Egypt. The mission of BUC is to spread and explore first-class professional and technical knowledge and skills that have a positive influence on the society.
Challenges
Currently, BUC has approximately 10,000 teachers and students. The number of students is rapidly increasing, jumping 15% in 2015 alone. The number of mobile terminals at BUC is growing at an annual rate of around 20%, straining current mobile office and wireless Internet access infrastructure as new ICT services continue to emerge. Existing network devices cannot meet service development needs, causing such problems as frame freezing in HD video conferencing, poor VoIP call quality, and slow teaching resource downloads. To address these issues, BUC needs to upgrade its existing network and reconstruct its WLAN.
Solution
Based on a deep understanding of the
education industry, Huawei offered a unique wireless campus solution tailored to the demands of BUC.
Campus network reconstruction to meet cloud application requirements
As high-bandwidth services such as cloud applications, VoIP, and HD video security are increasingly used on the campus, Huawei rebuilt the campus network using a three-layer architecture consisting of the core layer, aggregation layer, and access layer. Networks in teaching buildings, libraries, labs, departments, and dormitories were centrally planned to simplify traffic forwarding and improve network performance. The original GE network at the core layer was upgraded to a 10 GE network (10-fold increase in the bandwidth) to support smooth evolution from 10 GE to 40 GE/100 GE. Additionally, the bandwidth for terminal access was upgraded from 100 Mbit/s to 1,000 Mbit/s, achieving gigabit to desktop.
Robust network to ensure highly reliable connections
To ensure high reliability of the campus network, the solution provided by Huawei deploys Huawei S9712 Agile Switches at the core layer and adopts CSS technology to virtualize multiple physical devices into one single device. This simplifies campus network management, reduces network maintenance costs, and guarantees network reliability through device redundancy.
Easy high-density access to support a better-connected campus
In areas with a high density of users such as the library and canteen, a large number of terminals and concurrent users require high bandwidth, posing a great challenge to the AP performance and network deployment. Huawei AP5030DN complies with 802.11ac and can deliver a rate of up to 1.73 Gbit/s, which can fully accommodate users’ bandwidth requirements. Moreover, high-density access technologies (access control of low-speed STAs, airtime fair scheduling, multi-user collision control, and multi-user CAC scheduling) improve AP transmission efficiency and utilization. Huawei uses its self-developed 3D network planning tool — WLAN Planner — for network deployment. After a building drawing is imported, WLAN Planner calculates the number of required APs, AP locations, and bandwidth, ensuring pervasive indoor coverage and zero signal interference.
In outdoor high-density scenarios (except the stadium), the BUC campus suffers from extreme high temperatures (40°C above) and sandstorms, calling for strong outdoor AP protection capabilities. Huawei AP8130DN, the industry’s first outdoor AP using dual 5G technology, supports 2.4G-to-5G switchover. The maximum number of users on an AP increases by 40 percent and wireless bandwidth by 50 percent, enabling the AP to easily cope with outdoor high-density access challenges. In addition, the AP8130DN can work properly in a temperature range of –40° Centigrade to +60° Centigrade and is dust-proof, thanks to IP67 protection. The AP’s built-in antenna uses a surge protection design and requires no additional surge protector, reducing customer investment and deployment costs.
Benefits
Significantly, Huawei’s Wireless Campus Solution tailored for BUC makes it convenient for teachers and students to use learning resources. BUC’s wireless campus network reconstruction further enhances its national influence, promoting the ICT development of the education industry in Egypt.
