Samuel Lewis

Quantum-Safe Networking

A Colt Innovation project delivered in collaboration with Arqit. We deployed a proof-of-concept multi-site IPsec VPN using Arqit’s quantum-safe key exchange technology, built on top of the uCPE and NFVI infrastructure I’ve helped develop over the past few years.

The setup consisted of an Edge Cloud uCPE hosting an Ubuntu VM for the Arqit Secure Adaptor and a Juniper SRX serving as the IPsec endpoint. I built and configured the entire Colt side of the solution, including the corresponding NFVI Telco-cloud VNFs running on Cisco CVIM (the second tunnel endpoint). This then interconnected with a third Azure-based deployment configured by Arqit.

The work delivered a successful outcome, transforming early-stage Quantum Safe trials into a validated product now positioned within the wider Quantum Security portfolio.

SCION

SCION is a next-generation, security-focused internet architecture that provides highly reliable, path-aware connectivity across multiple independent networks.

At Colt Innovation we set up a proof of concept in February 2024 including a full mesh core network spanning Europe, SCION peering with Anapaya via SwissIX, and two test Edge VNFs (London and Frankfurt). Being the only member of the team with access to our NFVI and uCPE infrastructure, I was responsible for configuring the whole network.

A big thanks to Anapaya — their guidance and support were instrumental throughout the project. The PoC delivered excellent results and directly led to Colt’s decision to proceed with a full global rollout of SCION.

CIN Street Active Radio Cabinet

A Colt Innovation project in collaboration with CIN, Weaver Labs and Cisco. The high-level concept was a street cabinet connected directly to the Colt IQ Network, serving as a mini data centre for telecommunications equipment. A multipurpose design suitable for mobile operators, smart-city IoT, advertising, and forward-looking 5G use cases such as virtual reality, augmented reality, and gaming.

My main role in this project was to work with technicians from Weaver Labs and Cisco, along with on-site engineers, to set up the Cisco NCS-540 within the cabinet. This included configuring the GNSS receiver, the full PTP timing stack, the transport domain, and the RU connectivity, as well as setting up SPAN monitoring to verify timing accuracy and packet flow.

Enterprise Private 5G

A multivendor collaboration between Colt, Icade, ADVA, Airspan, Accedian and Tibco to deploy enterprise private 5G connectivity to the PB5 La Défense building in Paris.

This setup took full advantage of the Colt IQ Network and Cisco NFVI provider cloud. My role was to set up, manage, or provide operational support for various VNFs deployed on our CVIM node in Amsterdam, including a Juniper SRX, Airspan ACP and Kubernetes master, Accedian Orchestrator, and the Athonet 5G Core VM. A second Juniper SRX was deployed on-premise, which I also configured and maintained.

The project delivered a strong outcome, showcasing the practical viability of private 5G in a live enterprise setting and strengthening Colt’s role in driving next-generation connectivity innovation.

Versa SD WAN

I have been heavily involved in the design, delivery and maintainance of over five different SD WAN infrastructures, including three shared platforms serving hundreds of customers. Our solutions include hierarchical WAN Controller geo-redundant design, direct Cloud Service Provider connectivity, SASE-based secure access for remote users, dual stack IPv6 support, advanced firewall, anything and everything you could possibly ask for in an SD WAN solution.

Universal CPE

I am the prime engineer for Colt´s Universal CPE, or "Edge Compute" solution. This product offers an on-site hypervisor based on Openstack on top of which customers can deploy any virtual machine or virtual network function (VNF) they need. Commonly this would be an SD WAN CPE or traditional router plus a Firewall or WAN Accelerator, but the sky is the limit. This solution is incredibly flexible and so far we have not failed to deploy any topology that has been requested.

NFVI - Network Function Virtualisation - Provider Edge Cloud

I have been involved since day one in the deployment of two Provider Edge cloud infrastructures deployed in over ten locations in Europe, Asia and North America. Firstly using Ciscos CVIM solution (based on Openstack) and secondly using VMware Vsphere and ESXi. This private cloud infrastructure is fully managed and maintained by Colt and used for deploying essential network functions for our customers. We use this infrastructure for a wide range of virtual machines including Versa, Juniper SRX, Anapaya (SCION), Cisco and other Linux based OS´.