Virgin Media O2 (VMO2) insisted it reached a major milestone in its evolution strategy as it switched on a converged interconnect network (CIN) to bring together its fibre and 5G offerings.

The UK operator stated the CIN has been built to carry both mobile and fixed traffic and will “streamline and enhance” the delivery of VMO2 services.

By aggregating data closer to the end user before routing it back to the core network, the operator claimed the CIN can optimise efficiency and improve network resiliency.

Jeannie York, CTO at VMO2 said the new architecture brings together two separate networks for the first time, representing a critical moment in its long-term strategy.

No single point of failure
VMO2 explained the network allows different services to coexist and be managed more easily. It can also apparently be quickly scaled to provide greater capacity as demand for data grows.

Additionally, the CIN has been built to ensure there is no single point of failure, reducing the likelihood of network outages and ensuring greater reliability across both mobile and fixed broadband.

US networking and software company Ciena is supporting VMO2’s CIN, which is compatible with two of its router lines.

Last month, US operator AT&T also took a big step in its convergence strategy, launching a new gateway which automatically switches customers from fibre broadband to 5G.