* MCI offering high-speed cable services via Time Warner, Cox, Charter
MCI is now offering high-speed cable services through three providers – Time Warner, Cox Communications and Charter – in a move to broaden its portfolio of broadband Internet access offerings.
MCI already offers high-speed Internet access via DSL, Wi-Fi and satellite. With the addition of cable services, MCI says it can reach 90% of all U.S. business locations with one or more of its broadband offerings.
With its Internet Cable service, MCI is targeting businesses with multiple locations such as retailers and service companies that require cost-effective high-speed connectivity at many locations. Also targeted are companies with large numbers of telecommuters, who need access to corporate network resources via the Internet.
“More customers are moving toward lower-cost Internet options,” says Tim Suh, product manager for MCI’s Internet Cable service. “The need is really driven by smaller businesses, remote offices and retail outlets. These are also the ones implementing a lot of VPNs.”
MCI’s cable offerings are available through New Edge Networks, an aggregator of cable and DSL services.
MCI’s business-class cable services are available immediately for $200 per month. MCI provides a single point of contact for provisioning and troubleshooting, 24×7 technical support and consolidated billing. The cable company provides installation and on-site support.
The Internet Cable service guarantees customers speeds of at least 768K bit/sec for downloads and 256K bit/sec for uploads. The service includes one static IP address.
MCI expects the cable service offering to be popular with companies migrating to MCI’s IP VPN Broadband offering, a managed service that includes encryption of data traffic between remote locations and corporate headquarters.
“For our managed VPN solutions, the majority of the time customers are trying to replace a low-end frame solution or a dial-up solution where they’re connecting back to headquarters,” says Carol Ballengee, product manager for MCI’s IP VPN services. “Now we can offer additional coverage for IP VPN Broadband with cable.”
MCI is pursuing a large and fast-growing market with its business-class broadband offerings. The market for business-class dedicated and broadband access will hit $7.38 billion by 2008, according to IDC.
