The Cisco ASR 5000 will provide the foundation for Belgacom's new 4G long-term evolution (LTE) network, enabling it to deliver higher bandwidth and greater intelligence for faster mobile Internet services and an enhanced user experience for Belgacom subscribers.

In addition, the Cisco ASR 5000 will enable unified management of Belgacom's existing 2G and 3G mobile Internet services.

"We pride ourselves on enabling innovative new services for our subscribers, and through our work with Cisco we are able to offer greatly increased speed and capacity with the confidence that we have a platform to support future growth. We are delighted to be working with Cisco in an area that has such a positive impact on the end-user experience," said Laurent Claus, Vice-President, Customer ICT Services, Belgacom.

The Backbone for Connected Services

In the first three months of 2013, Belgacom saw its mobile Internet traffic double in comparison with the same period in 2012, supporting predictions made by the Cisco Visual Networking Index that forecast global mobile data traffic to grow at a compound annual rate of 66% between 2012 and 2017.

With this deployment, Belgacom will be able to not only enhance network speed and connectivity but also offer innovative services that enrich the subscriber experience and provide further opportunity to scale and monetize their network.

Belgacom, which has the objective to be a sustainable, innovative and customer-centric service company, will be deploying Cisco's ASR 5000 Series for EPC bearer functionality.

The Cisco ASR 5000 Series, the industry's leading mobile packet core solution, is purpose-built for the complexities of the mobile network. It is a robust multimedia services platform that brings a new level of network and customer intelligence critical for delivering real-time, personalized mobile services.

Cisco mobile packet core technologies will include co-located Gateway GPRS Support Nodes (GGSN), Serving Gateway (S-GW) and Packet Data Network Gateway (P-GW) to simplify network topology, provide service uniformity and simplify management.

"Belgacom's approach ensures that it has the consumer in mind. Through our work together, it is helping ensure a backbone for connected services that will shape its platform for years to come. We look forward to experiencing the evolution of the Internet with them," added Jim Scott, Managing Director, Mobility, EMEAR, Cisco.