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3Com, MCI WorldCom Offer DSL

New DSL services are aimed at small businesses sharing Internet access.

By Elinor Mills, PCWorld   

3Com is releasing two new DSL modems and MCI WorldCom is expanding single-access DSL service, offering small companies networking access via DSL.

MCI WorldCom will offer DSL services for enterprise-wide networking applications beyond Internet access, including frame relay, Asynchronous Transfer Mode, and voice, in the second quarter.

MCI WorldCom's subsidiary UUNet Technologies offers DSL for Internet access, but MCI WorldCom will offer DSL-based Internet access more broadly through its On-Net service. Business customers will be able to combine voice and data traffic from local United States and international locations onto one end-to-end network.

The expansion is possible through a strategic alliance with the remote networking company Rhythms NetConnections. MCI WorldCom is making a $30 million investment in the firm. MCI WorldCom will serve as Rhythms' preferred network provider for backbone and metropolitan network services, according to the MCI WorldCom statement.

The DSL service will be available first to businesses in major cities. The technologies will support speeds from 128K to 7M bits per second. Pricing, to be announced, will include a one-time installation charge, a monthly DSL fee, and the option of leasing or buying a DSL modem, says Roberta Myers, director of access services for MCI WorldCom.

One analyst said MCI WorldCom's offering will be a hit with businesses starved for high-speed access.

"Traditionally, DSL lines are thought of for high-speed Internet access," said Jeffrey Kagan, an independent industry analyst. "But this goes beyond the scope of simple Internet access and you're able to use these lines for access to companies' other information systems, local area networks."

Meanwhile, 3Com announced the availability of a new symmetric DSL, or SDSL, modem with multispeed connectivity, and an Integrated Services Digital Network DSL, called an IDSL, that features a wider service range.

The SDSL modem uses existing wires for speeds as much as 27 times faster than 56Kbps analog modems, 3Com said.

The 3Com IDSL modem provides a full-duplex connection using speeds of 64Kbps and 144Kbps. It is intended as a link for remote offices and telecommuters, 3Com said.