WorldCom's UUNET Technologies today announced new service-level agreements (SLA) that will offer users network availability, minimum latency and proactive network outage notification guarantees.
Pushing the envelope on SLAs, UUNET is now offering its dedicated frame relay, 56K bit/sec, T-1, T-3 and OC-3 Internet access customers 100% network availability guarantee.
This guarantee means that if UUNET is unavailable for 30 seconds, users will receive a one-day service credit up to one hour. And this guarantee also covers the users local access connection.
This is one of the most aggressive SLAs available today.
UUNET also is promising that customers will not experience more than 85 msec round-trip latency over its domestic network.
And for traffic that travels internationally through UUNET's New York-based hub to London, the ISP is guaranteeing users will not experience more than of 120 msec of round-trip latency.
But hold on to your purse strings: while 85 msec is one of the most aggressive minimum latency guarantees available today, UUNET is not backing up its guarantees with adequate compensation.
UUNET customers will only receive a one-day service credit if UUNET does not meet its latency guarantee for two consecutive months. But 60 consecutive days of less-than-robust service is too long for most business users.
UUNET is trying to a take a more proactive approach when it comes to network outage notifications. The ISP is guaranteeing that customers will be notified of a network outage within 15 minutes of the event.
If UUNET does not meet this guarantee, users will be credited a full day of service.
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