Very often I have seen Clients and Network Engineers being very much concerned about having inbuilt LTE/4G interface into their SD-WAN device. Here is my take on why it shouldn't matter or perhaps should be one of those things you should avoid. Because:
- They can hook external LTE Modem to SD-WAN device using ethernet hand-off. More importantly external LTE device can offer Dual SIM in Active Standby design from two different provider and even Active-Active setup.
- External LTE connectivity provider can offer their service on MRC (Monthly Recurring Charges) model.
- Most enterprises usually have partner/promotion plans from Mobile operators those can be leveraged.
- Makes deployment easy and consistent in Global Scenario. You don't need to chase several Telcos and keep track of usage etc.
- They offer few basic SD-WAN capabilities from their box natively.
- They offer external Antenna connectivity as well. Most DC floors running SD-WAN device with inbuilt LTE interface are likely to face Signal coverage issues sitting behind thick walls.
- Moving to 5G seamlessly becomes easy as you don't own HW and nor dependency on SD-WAN device itself
- Management interface/EMS to monitor, manage and troubleshoot Mobile connectivity centrally and central help desk model
- With inbuilt LTE interface you always need to verify Band and other compatibilities for given HW and SW version. External LTE interface through ethernet handoff takes that pain away and lower that risk.
Further Readings:
HTH...
A Network Artist
