Let’s start with the main thing: new developments and improvements of the Stingray SG
Updates in the Stingray SG 11.4
Working on the new version of the Stingray SG, we added the capabilities to process the “empty-body” Radius response and switch to DPDK 21.11 LTS, paid special attention to improving the performance of router functions, as well as virtualization of BNG/BRAS and CG-NAT.
We have simplified the process of testing the solution and increased the speed of its deployment. The Stingray SG has already been successfully deployed in Open Stack, ESXi, KVM+, Hyper-v+ systems. There is also an active development on compatibility with other systems.
We hope that these updates will help operators organize work with their networks even easier and more efficiently.
Joint Solution with Kaspersky Lab
This year we started developing threat-intelligence solutions for operators in collaboration with Kaspersky Lab. We combined the capabilities of Kaspersky Threat Data Feeds aggregating data on digital threats around the world, and the Stingray SG traffic analytics and policing module.
We expect that our threat-intelligence solution will help Internet service providers simultaneously solve two tasks: ensuring network security and additional monetization of their services.
CentOS 8.5 and VEOS
Starting from version 12, the Stingray SG solution will no longer support CentOS 6. In order for operators to have access to all current updates of the Stingray SG in the future, throughout the year we recommended to plan the transition to a new version of the operating system.
However, it is worth remembering that since the end of December 2021, Red Hat has stopped supporting its free Linux distribution CentOS Linux 8. For this reason, our team decided to create its own distribution — VEOS (VAS Experts Operating System), which is already available from the repositories. With VEOS, the installation process of the Stingray SG will become easier, since the solution is already pre-installed.
BNG/BRAS Subscription
This year, we have launched a new service — BNG subscription, with which the operator has the option to pay only for the maximum number of subscribers served per month.
One of the main differences between software BNG and hardware analogues is the ability to flexibly extend functionality if necessary. Subscription allows operators to quickly scale their BNG at the moment when there is a need for additional services to improve the quality of communication.
Why this approach is beneficial and how it reduces the initial costs of implementing the solution, we told in the article on our blog.
Participation in Telecom International Events
In 2022, the VAS Experts team successfully proved itself and demonstrated the Stingray SG solution at two international telecom exhibitions: Convergence India Expo (New Delhi) and Futurecom Brazil (Sao Paulo).
We thank all the organizers for their professionalism in the preparation of the events and hospitality!
And what about the next year?
- On-stick support
- Full transition to VEOS
- Development for mobile operators