BT to trial symmetric alternative to leased lines

BT has announced plans to test technology that will give small to medium sized enterprises an affordable alternative to leased lines.

BT has announced plans to test technology that will give small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) an affordable alternative to leased lines.

Ignite, BT's broadband data division, will begin trials of symmetric digital subscriber line (SDSL) technology on 1 December, and aims to offer it commercially by mid-2001.

SDSL is similar to ssymmetric DSL (ADSL), which was offered to businesses last month. But while ADSL provides high-speed data downstream and a slower upstream speed, SDSL is the same speed in both directions.

BT said the service would suit SMEs that send high volumes of data between office branches, as well as home workers and internet service providers.

It will also be aimed at businesses that want to host their own websites and that are intending to use voice over IP (VoIP) for voice calls between office branches.

BT is touting SDSL as a key enabler of VoIP. Companies routing traffic between branches using SDSL could make significant savings on circuit-switched calls.

Neil Armstrong, broadband product marketing manager at Ignite, said: "We know there is a lot of latent demand for leased line access among SMEs and believe these products bring symmetric services into their price range."

BT will offer two types of service: BT Datastream Symmetric, which connects end users to its broadband network; and BT Broadband point-to-point private circuits, which connect end users to each other via BT's broadband network.

SDSL will also be offered by third-party service providers and telcos.

Armstrong claimed that SDSL would not affect BT's ISDN or ADSL businesses. "It certainly isn't a replacement for ADSL, merely another weapon in our armoury. I don't see it having much effect on ISDN. We see a significant amount of new business, but expect some migration from traditional leased lines," he said.

Three different data speeds will be offered: 500Kbps, 1Mbps and 2Mbps. BT and other telcos will test the service among 300 users, and BT will equip 12 exchanges for the trial in areas densely populated by businesses.