Posted 22 Jul, 2026 by Gizem Yigit

Open-source networking platform enables rapid experimentation, realistic validation, and training for next-generation architectures supporting critical infrastructure.

POWAY, Calif., July 22, 2026 – VyOS Networks today announced a new customer success story featuring Hydro Québec and its research arm, Hydro Québec Research Institute (IREQ), and how the organization uses VyOS to explore IPv6, SRv6, and next-generation telecom networks in a lab environment built to de-risk new capabilities before they move toward production use.

Hydro Québec is one of the largest electric utility companies in North America, delivering electricity to millions of customers in Canada. Through Hydro Québec Research Institute (IREQ), the organization evaluates advanced technologies that support the future of critical infrastructure. Within the Digital Systems Unit, researchers explore telecommunications and networking for modern power grids, including 5G, SDN, and IPv6-based architectures. To support this work, the lab adopted VyOS as a flexible routing and networking platform for research, validation, and training.

A research lab needs speed without losing realism. IREQ required a platform that could cover multiple networking roles, support IPv6-first and dual-stack designs, enable early SRv6 experimentation, and connect to the public internet using an independent AS and multi-provider BGP. Traditional appliances and rigid platforms made it harder to move quickly or experiment freely.

VyOS provided an adaptable network operating system aligned with research workflows, combining a multi-role networking platform in a single OS, Linux-based flexibility for rapid iteration, strong IPv6 support with a clear path toward SRv6 experimentation, and documentation that supports independent exploration.

Implementation highlights include:

  • Deployed primarily as virtual machines to spin up routers quickly and build complex topologies
  • Edge routing with BGP, including multi-provider connectivity
  • IPv6 and dual-stack architectures
  • Early-stage SRv6 experimentation
  • Network segmentation and slicing scenarios
  • VPN and secure connectivity testing
  • Used as a progressive training platform before designs move to production-focused teams

By standardizing on VyOS in the research environment, Hydro Québec accelerated experimentation cycles, validated advanced routing and IPv6-based architectures more realistically, reduced tooling complexity, and minimized dependency on vendor support.

“VyOS is one of my main tools for networking. It works, it’s flexible, and it lets us experiment without slowing us down," said Jean-Guy Quenneville, Researcher, Telecommunications and IT, Hydro-Québec Research Institute (IREQ) Digital Systems Unit.

For more information about VyOS for research, validation, and training environments, contact us at sales@vyos.io

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