BellSouth this week enhanced its Ethernet transport services for business customers. 

Enhancements to BellSouth's Metro Ethernet Service include support for business continuity, data and storage center connectivity, sharing of medical and technical imaging, and video and voice over IP (VoIP).  The enhancements, known as Premium Service options, are initially available in Atlanta; Miami; New Orleans; Jacksonville, Fla.; and Raleigh, N.C., with deployments to take place in additional metro areas throughout 2004.

Premium Service options include committed bandwidth speeds, bursting capabilities above the committed speeds, traffic prioritization and virtual LAN aggregation, along with service-level agreements and network management services. 

BellSouth began offering 10M bit/sec and 100M bit/sec metro Ethernet services in 1994 and added Gigabit Ethernet service in 2001. The Premium Service allows customers to subscribe to additional incremental speeds of 20M, 50M, 250M and 500M bit/sec to supplement the current speed options.

Monthly charges for BellSouth's Metro Ethernet Services range from $750 for 10M bit/sec, to $1,500 for 100M bit/sec and $3,000 for Gigabit Ethernet. For Premium Services with committed bandwidth, new users pay about a 20% premium on those charges, BellSouth says. Current customers see relatively little change in price, the carrier says.