Control Case Study

A Winning Network Solution for Camelot Lotteries

November 2015

The Challenge

To deliver reliable, affordable and secure connectivity over a private network to link over 10,000 scratchcard terminals across the UK

with an aggressive roll-out plan.

The Control Solution

• A private cellular network using WestAccess – highly scalable, robust and on-demand networking

• Vodafone’s industry leading IOT Global Data Services Platform

• External antennas installed in hard to reach connectivity sites

• Over 10,000 SIMs activated within a 9 month period

• Real-time monitoring and critical network support 24/7/365 from Westbase.io

The Results:

• A secure private cellular network enabling rapid deployment and self-installation of terminals

• A high performance network providing the stability and reliability required for this business-critical estate

• Early results indicate WestAccess is one of Camelot’s most reliable networks

• Westbase.io are now working with other lotteries who are using cellular networks as their primary network service

Case Study / A Winning Network Solution for Camelot Lotteries

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A Winning Network Solution for Camelot Lotteries

Camelot

Camelot UK Lotteries Limited has been the licensed operator of the UK National lottery since its launch in 1994. Running one of the

world’s most successful lotteries for over 20 years, Camelot has been awarded an extended third licence term until 2023. Aiming to

maximise returns to the National Lottery Good Causes in the most socially responsible and cost efficient way, Camelot spends only

around 4% of total revenue on operating costs. As a result Camelot runs the most cost efficient lottery in Europe.

Camelot’s Challenge – “Compact Lottery Terminals”

National lottery Scratchcards have long been a popular instant way to play

lottery games, and sales have doubled in the UK over the last 8 years. To

capitalise on this long term growth Camelot initiated on a project to roll out

over 10,000 scratchcard-only terminals, also known as “compact lottery

terminals”. Delivered to retailers in non-conventional, diverse markets such as

coffee shops and licensed premises, these terminals were designed to create

new alternative revenue streams across the UK.

The touch-screen terminals needed to be self-installed for fast deployment, and

required a connection to remotely sync data between the terminal and

Camelot’s central systems; the connection would also deliver media to feature

on-screen when it wasn’t in use. The large number planned for the roll-out

meant the offering needed to be highly available and delivered to the set

budget.

“Cost efficiency is at the heart of Camelot’s operating

success, and as the sites we were targeting with this

offering would mean low profit margins, this demanded

that the solution we chose was not just effective but also

economical.”

Mike Pellett, Network Manager at Camelot.

The Considerations

In deciding what solution would be required to deliver the compact lottery terminals, Camelot considered the following options initially:

• Existing Access Technologies – Primarily run on satellite and DSL, these were too expensive and didn’t allow for the self-install option

• Existing On-site Broadband – Too much variance in reliability and quality of in-store connectivity negated the use of this, plus linking terminals back to the central network via this method would be insecure

Camelot came to the conclusion that to meet the requirements of the scratchcard project they needed to design a purpose-built cellular

router to install within the terminals. To keep the network within their control and completely secure though, they also decided that

they would need a private mobile network solution to connect the routers.

The Requirements:

• A secure, reliable, private network

• National coverage

• Highly available core

• Resilient at the Endpoint

• Affordable

Case Study / A Winning Network Solution for Camelot Lotteries

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Hitting the Jackpot with the WestAccess Network

In Camelot’s search for a suitable private network, Westbase.io were

recommended as a supplier. After receiving a project brief, Westbase.io put

together a solution proposal which met all of Camelot’s requirements and,

following credential checks, were selected to be their solution provider.

Mindful of keeping operating costs to a minimum, the enterprise-grade security

that WestAccess delivered with no up-front costs, naturally met with Camelot’s

approval. The cost efficiencies went further still as the WestAccess solution was

delivered at a fraction of the expenditure usually associated with a private APN

setup and MPLS infrastructure. Providing the same security benefits as a private

network, but well within budget and providing an advanced feature set and

flexibility, the WestAccess cellular network delivered a complete transport layer

and vendor-managed solution.

“Using our experience in cellular networking solutions, we were able to offer Camelot a highly

scalable, on-demand solution, powering the full 10,000 sites as easily as 1.”

“This meant the terminals could be rolled out and connected in an aggressive timeframe to suit the

business requirements.”

Sacha Kakad, Managing Director at Westbase.io

As well as providing a robust cellular network to connect the routers, the Westbase.io solution could also be easily integrated with satellite or DSL connectivity where this was required by certain sites – encapsulating all modes of connectivity into one private network for simplif ied management. WestAccess is also completely hardware agnostic, future proofing the network against changing topologies.

Using Westbase.io’s WestAccess

network Camelot were able to

create a completely private and

secure network, whilst also

leveraging Vodafone GDSP

connectivity which features

national roaming for all UK

mobile operators.

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How Westbase.io Delivered a Winning Solution

With unrivalled industry knowledge, and over 25 years’ experience in delivering effective networking solutions, Westbase.io set about

delivering the solution to link thousands of scratchcard terminals nationwide for Camelot. To achieve this they undertook the following:

Advice and Consultancy

Westbase.io provided advice and consultancy on the development of the cellular router that would be enclosed within the scratchcard

terminal, in order to make sure it met the network’s requirements.

Pilot and Pre-deployment Testing

Before launching a full solution, extensive testing was undertaken. Westbase.io worked alongside Camelot to test application

performance over the cellular solution, for which a detailed plan with success criteria was agreed and executed. The pilot was highly

successful, with the network outperforming the baselines for all test criteria.

Establishing the Network with Vodafone

Westbase.io managed the delivery of SIMs direct to the terminal manufacturer for installation as part of the manufacturing process.

The SIMs were shipped in a test mode with an agreed amount of included data, allowing connectivity to be verified at point of

manufacture without triggering the monthly subscription for each SIM.

Activating Over 10,000 SIMs

The advanced Vodafone Global Data Services Platform provided Westbase.io with the features required to match activations to the

rollout, the SIMs being automatically activated once they had used their test allowance. To date in excess of 10,000 connections are

active on the network, with most of these rolled out over a short 9 month period.

External Antenna Installation for Poor Signal Areas

Westbase.io facilitated site surveys and installation services for areas where a suitable signal could not be achieved with the built in

antenna. After assessing the best connectivity solution for these sites, Westbase.io-appointed engineers installed external antenna to

provide the service required by the terminal.

24/7/365 Active monitoring

Westbase.io provide 24/7/365 support and monitoring for the Camelot estate, using active monitoring to deliver real-time alerts on

the core network.

“Early results indicate that WestAccess is one of Camelot’s most reliable networks”

The solution that Westbase.io delivered was viewed as a resounding success. Not only was the solution cost effective but the cellular

network also enabled quick and simple installation which was an absolute necessity with the aggressive roll-out required for the

scratchcard terminals.

As part of their internal procedures Camelot test and monitor the stability of their networks by tracking “re-tries” – the number of

these has been consistently low on this cellular service compared to other services which Camelot use on different projects.

Case Study / A Winning Network Solution for Camelot Lotteries

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“One of the benefits of using the WestAccess network is that once the terminals are connected,

even in the challenging sites where external antenna have had to be used, they stay connected”

said Pellett. He continued “Certainly the early results of our monitoring indicate that WestAccess is

one of Camelot’s most reliable networks.”

Introducing the Technology: WestAccess

Providing the same benefits of a private APN infrastructure, but without the costs of building and running it,

WestAccess is a total private networking solution:

• Highly scalable and flexible – connect 1000s of sites as easily as 1

• Enterprise-grade security – on-demand private managed networking

• Network and hardware agnostic – works seamlessly across multiple operators and can provide hybrid networking with fixed line and satellite services

• Extends enterprise networks with ease – create a Wide Area Network extension over cellular

• Rapidly deployed – fully managed, end-to-end connectivity that can be rolled out in days and weeks instead of months

If you have any questions about this case study, please contact Control

info@cntrl.io+44 (0)118 321 9475 @ControlLtd