Orange connects Zim from shore to stern

   Orange Business Services has secured a deal to provide liner carrier Zim with a single global network for its MPLS-based communications.
   MPLS is a scalable data-carrying telecommunications network.
   In specific, Orange will provide Zim with a system that provides back-up and information support, and a single communications and cloud-based platform for its vessels.
   Zim’s goal is to pay for a network to automate data around container location and transit times, while also giving its directors and higher-level managers the ability to communicate directly with employees involved in getting containers to where they need to go.
   Since MPLS carries data and voice, new on-ship services can be integrated directly and pull data from communications in the network with minimal integration effort and likely no new hardware requirements, the company said.
   Orange said it provides similar connectivity services to eight of the world’s top 10 container shipping companies. – Geoff Whiting