UUNET WorldCom today introduced its OC-3 Packet Over SONET (POS) service and a new Shadow OC-3 service designed to provide full-time back-up connections for all OC-3 customers.
Based on ATM technology, the OC-3 POS provides sustained 155 Mbps bandwidth for high-demand users, the company said. SONET (Synchronous Optical Network) technology is designed to conserve bandwidth resources and provide high-capacity access in the most efficient way.
“If a customer needed 155Mbps today, the best option is POS, because it makes better use of the line,” said Kevin Gatesman, product manager of optical carrier services for UUNET WorldCom. “ATM is less efficient, but it serves a purpose for customers that want to scale.”
Also available is the Shadow OC-3 service, meant to provide constant back-up for customers’ OC-3 connections. Shadow OC-3 is a cost-effective service, the firm stated, that offers the peace of mind that a secondary, back-up connection is available at all times for OC-3 customers.
Streaming media company broadcast.com is one of the first customers of the service, the firm said. The company identifies potential customers as large corporations, organizations with large Web sites, Internet service providers and Internet content providers.
Priced at $182,000 per month, OC-3 POS is available immediately in San Francisco, Washington D.C., New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Seattle, and the company said it hopes to add five more cities by the end of the year. The Shadow service is priced at $20,000 per month.
