A Winning Network Solution for Camelot Lotteries

Case Study

+ A private cellular network using Control Connect – highlyscalable, robust and on-demand networking

+ Vodafone’s industry leading IOT Global Data Services Platform

+ External antennas installed in hard to reach connectivitysites

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

+ Real-time monitoring and critical network support 24/7/365from Control

The Control Solution

+ A secure private cellular network enabling rapid deploymentand self-installation of terminals

+ A high performance network providing the stability andreliability required for this business-critical estate

+ Early results indicate Control Connect is one of Camelot’s mostreliable networks

+ Control are now working with other lotteries who are using cellular networks as their primary network service

The Results

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 Challenge

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 e cient way, Camelot spends only

around 4% of total revenue on operating costs. As a result Camelot runs the most cost e cient 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 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,” said Mike Pellett, Network Manager at Camelot.

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

+ 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

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Case Study / A Winning Network Solution for Camelot Lotteries

Hitting the Jackpot with the Control Connect NetworkIn Camelot ’s search for a suitable private network, Connect were recommended as a supplier. After receiving a project brief, Connect put together a solution proposal which met all of Camelot ’s requirements and, following credential checks, were selected to be their solution provider.

Using the Control Connect 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.

Mindful of keeping operating costs to a minimum, the enterprise-grade security that Control Connect delivered with no up-front costs, naturally met with Camelot ’s approval. The cost e ciencies went further still as the Control Connect solution was delivered at a fraction of the expenditure usually associated with a private APN setup and MPLS infrastructure. Providing the same security bene its as a private network, but well within budget and providing an advanced feature set and exibility, the Control Connect 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,” said Sacha Kakad, Managing Director of the Westbase Group .

As well as providing a robust cellular network to connect the routers, the Control 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 simplified management. Control Connect is also completely hardware agnostic, future proofing the network against topologies.

How Connect Delivered a Winning SolutionWith unrivalled industry knowledge, and over 25 years’ experience in delivering effective n etworking s olutions, Control set a bout delivering the solution to link thousands of scratchcard terminals nationwide for Camelot. To achieve this they undertook the following:

Pilot and Pre-Deployment TestingBefore launching a full solution, extensive testing was undertaken. Control 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 VodafoneControl 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 veri ied at point of manufacture without triggering the monthly subscription for each SIM.

Activating Over 10,000 SIMsThe advanced Vodafone Global Data Services Platform provided Control 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.

Case Study / A Winning Network Solution for Camelot Lotteries

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External Antenna Installation for Poor Signal AreasControl 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, Control-appointed engineers installed external antennas to provide the

service required by the terminal.

24/7/365 Active MonitoringControl 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 Control Connect is one of Camelot’s most reliable networks.” The solution that Control 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.

“One of the benefits of using the Control Connect network is that once the terminals are connected, even in the challenging sites where external antenna have had to be used, they stay connected. Certainly the early results of our monitoring indicate that Control Connect is one of

Camelot’s most reliable networks.”

Mike Pellet, Network Manager at Camelot.

Taking the Lotteries Network FurtherSince the roll-out of the scratchcard terminals, Camelot have recommended the Control Connect solution to other jurisdictions and this

has led to another leading lottery using cellular as their primary network service, with others considering it for future network

development.

The success of, and Camelot ’s con idence in, the solution has also led to its features being extended beyond the original project

parameters. The compact lottery terminals can now also include a printer which means players can use the terminals to purchase Lottery

tickets as well as scratchcards – with Control Connect delivering the secure network required to enable this. Furthermore, the solution is

now planned to roll out to a further 2,000 sites in 2016.

“Camelot needed a swift solution to capitalise on the growing popularity of scratchcards and address new retailer opportunities. Working with them to supply a robust private network

that we could rapidly deploy across the UK has been both interesting and rewarding. We’re looking forward to working with Camelot on other innovative projects as they

develop their networks further.”

Sacha Kakad, Managing Director of the Westbase Group.

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Case Study / A Winning Network Solution for Camelot Lotteries

Introducing the Technology: Control Connect

Providing the same benefits of a private APN infrastructure, but without the costs of building and running it, Control Connect 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 canprovide hybrid networking with fixed line and satellite services

+ Extends enterprise networks with ease – create a Wide Area Network extension overcellular

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

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

info@cntrl.io+44 (0) 1291 430 567