TIM taps Cisco and NEC to improve Brazilian network quality

After establishing what it claims is the widest mobile coverage and 4G presence in Brazil and spearheading the implementation of 5G, mobile operator TIM Brazil has announced a technology partnership with Cisco and NEC Corporation.

The three companies expect their collaboration to usher in a new era of telecommunications infrastructure in Brazil, providing customers and businesses with what they assure will be a superior experience “setting new industry standards”. It aims to improve TIM Brazil network performance, service quality and end-to-end visibility, providing an enhanced experience for businesses of all sizes.

As it looks to expand overall network coverage, and in particular ramp up its 5G deployment in Brazil, TIM is aiming to continue what it describes as its journey of quality improvement, offering premium network quality and availability to its customers. It has identified key areas for improvement, including end-to-end visibility, automation and network quality.

In addition, TIM Brazil is seeking to elevate customers’ quality of experience and quality of service to gain better insights into customer perception and satisfaction through visibility, monitoring and performance analytics.

The tech companies believe their collaboration represents a significant advancement in ensuring a “seamless and high-performance” telecommunications infrastructure for TIM Brazil. To address the operator’s objectives, Cisco and NEC proposed a solution that expands network monitoring across all transport domains, from cell site routers to metropolitan and regional backhaul, to national backbone, including third-party networks.

With local support from NEC in Brazil, the initiative includes the supply of hardware and software platforms, installation and consulting services, training, and a three-year support contract.

NEC and Cisco’s recently acquired Accedian division have already worked together on several projects in Latin America and globally. With TIM Brazil, the Accedian Skylight platform will be implemented via distributed intelligent sensors through Smart SFPs and artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning (ML) algorithms, and deployed to provide a centralised view of the entire network, providing scalability to manage hundreds of thousands of endpoints fully integrated into the TIM assurance architecture.

“TIM Brazil is thrilled to partner with Cisco and NEC to enhance our network capabilities and provide superior experience to our customers”

“TIM Brazil is thrilled to partner with Cisco and NEC to enhance our network capabilities and provide superior experience to our customers,” said Marco Di Costanzo, chief technology officer at TIM Brazil. “Together, we aim to redefine industry standards and deliver a step-ahead telecoms infrastructure in Brazil.”

Masayuki Kayahara, general manager of the service provider solutions department at NEC Corporation, said the company was proud to offer its services to TIM Brazil along with Cisco. “Our Centre of Excellence places a strong emphasis on network automation to enhance our customers’ operations and network quality. We keep committed to advancing our service capabilities to support our customers’ business success,” added Kayahara.

Kevin Wollenweber, senior vice-president and general manager of datacentre and provider connectivity at Cisco Networking, said: “Together with NEC and TIM Brazil, we are demonstrating how we can harness the power of AI/ML algorithms to capture, manage and process billions of data points that can make or break the network. With the innovative Accedian Skylight platform in place, TIM Brazil can operate with improved agility, and react quickly with informed decisions to prevent network issues.”