* BellSouth offers Managed Network VPN Service over MPLS net
Local exchange carrier BellSouth launched its first VPN service last month that allows customers to access their corporate VPN over a variety of dedicated connections.
The LEC’s offering, called Managed Network VPN Service, is supported over BellSouth’s Multi-protocol Label Switching (MPLS) network throughout its Southeast-serving region.
Customers can set up site-to-site and remote access to their VPN using DSL, dedicated IP or frame relay to access their corporate VPN that rides over BellSouth’s MPLS network.
The LEC is actually not using the public Internet, but its private IP network to support the service, which the carrier says adds an additional level of security. For customers that want to access the Internet through their VPN, BellSouth offers an integrated network firewall.
BellSouth launched the service last month, but it has been working on signing up customers for some time. Lynk Systems is BellSouth’s first VPN customer. The company is using the service to support its network of point-of-sale and automated teller machines in retail locations throughout the South.
The service costs about $100 per month, per site for DSL access and up to $1,000 per month, per site for frame relay connectivity at T-3, 45M bit/sec speeds.
Remote users that already have DSL or a fractional T-1 can also be added to a corporate VPN for an additional charge of $15 to $20 per month, per user. The price depends on the number of remote users that will access a company’s VPN.
