Internet (Botsgate)

BTC Affordable POP Service

BTC offers a Virtual Port Dialup Network (VPDN) or Virtual Point of Presence (VPoP) service to ISPs and Corporations. BTC provides Service Management of this network-wide dial-in resource whereby ISPs and/or corporations are offered the rental of "virtual ports" (Modem ports).

The POPs (Point of Presence) are located in the following towns:

• Gaborone
• Francis town
• Lobatse
• Maun
• Selebi Phikwe

This allows for a virtual POP infrastructure in Botswana that covers the entire country and is controlled and monitored from a central location. Users make use of one universal number "1999" to dial into the nearest POP in Botswana. The user is switched to the nearest POP transparently. Calls made to "1999" are charged at Local Rates. This VPOP network is now close to 47% ISDN working and 53% analog. The following are the ISDN percentages in the dial up centers countrywide.

ISDN Percentages in the Dial Up Centers

How the Service Works. ISPs

• Users setup PC/laptop to dial "1999" and use a login name allocated by their ISP in this format: username@isp.bw or username@domain.bw, etc.
• A profile is set up on our "tunnel server" for the ISP renting ports from BTC. The ISP determines the number of ports required at each POP/location using his own grade of service.
• Once an ISP is setup and tunneling tested – the ISP’s clients can now dial in.
• Once a call has been established by a user/client, the tunnel server checks that a profile exists for the users/clients ISP. If it exists, information is sent to the POP for the creation of a tunnel to the ISP in question.
• Once a tunnel has been successfully created, the username and password is now sent to the ISP for authentication. If the ISP successfully authenticates the client, then the client has access to the Internet. Users have no knowledge of the intermediary and the ISP keeps their brand identity and user ownership or user database.
• Any other client dialing into the network while the tunnel is open will only need to be authenticated by the ISP no new tunnel will be created as this is only done by the first caller and will be terminated by the last caller logging off. More clients will be able to connect until the ISP’s quota of ports rented has been reached.

Corporations

• A similar setup as above is used for corporations/ enterprises.
• For an enterprise outsourcing this service from BTC – teleworkers/remote workers, small-office-home-office users can be routed on the domain name to their head office, with the enterprise authenticating the user. The user has no knowledge of the intermediary and the enterprise remains in control of their security policy.
• The Corporate or Enterprises can be located anywhere in the world and this setup will still work as long as the Corporate is connected to the Internet. This enables companies with head offices or sub offices outside the country to connect using a secure tunnel over the public Internet infrastructure.

ISP/Corporation Requirements for use of this service

• A registered domain name.
• A router capable of L2TP (Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol)
• Large enough Frame Relay link to BTC (access to/from the POPs and Internet will be done over this link via PVCs) and/or a connection to the Internet.
• An authentication server to authenticate clients or users.

Benefits to the ISP and/or Corporations:

• Reduced capital & operating costs (no need to outlay capital on acquiring expensive access technology i.e. modems, telephone lines and routers, also no administration overheads and maintenance costs).
• Focus on core activities (Corporations).
• Re-focus to be competitive (ISP).
• Increased Reach.

We provide:

• Management of the "service quota" and delivery of class of service to our customers.
• Value-added network services (time of day configurations, bandwidth management, etc..)
• Simplification of ISP/Corporation administrative tasks by centralizing configuration and Virtual Private dial management functions.

For further information contact BTC’s Internet Department on 3958497 or 3958207

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