Inspire.net

Enabling Lawful Intercept with OpenLI

Background

Inspire Net, an owner operated Internet Service Provider (ISP) in Palmerston North, New Zealand, has long been committed to providing high-quality internet services to its customers. 

In 2017 new technical standards were gazetted for service provider obligations under the Telecommunications (Interception Capability and Security) Act 2013 (TICSA). Inspire Net needed a reliable and cost-effective solution to meet these requirements.

Challenge

Compliance with TICSA requires ISPs to implement Lawful Intercept (LI) capabilities, allowing law enforcement agencies to monitor communications when legally mandated. The 2017 gazette mandated use for the ETSI LI standards.   Commercial LI solutions were often expensive and complex, posing a challenge for smaller and mid-sized ISPs like Inspire Net. They needed an open-source, cost-effective, and secure solution that could meet New Zealand’s regulatory standards.

Solution

As an early and generous supporter of the OpenLI project, Inspire Net played a crucial role in the development of the first open-source lawful interception software designed specifically for ISPs. By deploying OpenLI, Inspire Net became the first commercial network to install the software, demonstrating its viability in a real-world network environment.

OpenLI provided Inspire Net with:

  • Full compliance with TICSA interception requirements.

  • Successful tests with the New Zealand Police, ensuring law enforcement could effectively use the system.

  • Security approval under Part 3 of TICSA, verifying that the system met stringent security standards.

  • A cost-effective alternative to proprietary LI solutions, reducing operational overheads while maintaining compliance.

Results

By implementing OpenLI, Inspire Net successfully met its lawful interception obligations while also supporting an open-source initiative that benefits the wider ISP community in New Zealand and beyond. Their leadership in adopting OpenLI paved the way for other ISPs to consider open-source alternatives for compliance needs.

Conclusion

Inspire Net’s deployment of OpenLI showcases how innovative, community-driven solutions can address regulatory challenges in a cost-effective and efficient manner. Their early support and successful implementation of OpenLI underscore their commitment to both regulatory compliance and technological innovation in the ISP sector.