MNF Enterprise and AARNet announce cloud calling partnership

Communications provider MNF Enterprise and the Australia Academic and Research Network (AARNet) will work together to provide voice communications solutions to the country's education and research sector.

AARNet is also a not-for-profit National Research and Education Network (NREN).

It is a licensed telecommunications carrier that operates high capacity data network for Australian universities, research institutes, schools and other organisations with a research and education mission.

The deal will allow AARNet and MNF Enterprise to customise IP voice and unified communications solutions - including SIP trunking, number porting and virtual numbers - to replace and modernise end-of-life phone services, such as ISDN and copper lines.

The two companies say the customisation will provide AARNet customers with cost-effective, streamlined and secure voice communications over the AARNet network.

Currently the AARNet network connects over two million users – including researchers, faculty, staff and students – to the Internet, each other, scientific tools and a wide array of cloud services and specialist online resources.

AARNet chief executive officer Chris Hancock says that the institution focuses on partnering with global companies like MNF Group to make it easier for customers to deploy services, achieve outcomes and enable innovation in teaching, learning and research.

MNF Enterprise general manager Greg Round adds, "MNF Enterprise has been providing IP voice services and unified communications to government organisations and large enterprises for some time. These organisations trust that MNF Enterprise delivers a high-quality service to its customers.

MNF Enterprise solutions will be scaled to work reliably for AARNet customers, which range from those with tens of users to up to thousands of users, the company states.

"Organisations within the education and research sector typically operate on lean budgets. By moving their voice communications into the cloud, and taking advantage of leading-edge technologies, presents the opportunity to reduce communications spend," Round concludes.

MNF Enterprise is part of the MNF Group. Headquartered in Sydney, Australia, the company has more than 400 people located across Asia-Pacific, Europe and North America.

MNF develops and operates a global communications network and software suite enabling organisations to deliver new-generation communications solutions.

MNF Enterprise's SIP trunks and virtual numbers can also be used with all major on-premise PBXs, as well as cloud solutions such as Microsoft Teams and Cisco's WebEx Calling.

In March 2019, AARNet and Cisco successfully demonstrated a 600Gbps terrestrial trial, dubbed an 'Australian first'. They did so by using Cisco Network Convergence System (NCS) 1004.