Print

Comment

Email

Digg

Del.icio.us

Reddit

Technology Options
Enterprises have several options to consider before they begin their search for an Internet service provider (ISP). The requirement and the extent of their dependence on the service will determine the options they can opt for. The requirement of an enterprise could be broadband or narrowband. For a majority of enterprise users, broadband is the most practical option. Once it has been decided that you need to go for broadband, you can further choose various options. This also primarily relates to the access media, which the enterprise can use to connect to the ISP’s nearest PoP. The right choice of access media is the most critical decision that an enterprise should make when subscribing to an ISP’s services, since that will decide the following:

• Always-on connectivity
• Uptime
• Flexibility of bandwidth usage
• Lead time for service installation

n ISDN: ISDN provides digital service, typically in increments of 64 kbps. Its usage has increased with the increase in Internet usage. The advantage here is that one can access the Internet on one channel and make or receive voice calls on the other. This service is offered by some of the leading ISPs like BSNL and VSNL.

n Leased-Line: This is a cost-effective Internet access solution offered by a majority of ISPs. Corporates can receive high-speed Internet connectivity and pay for the bandwidth, according to the usage. It is considered to be a more reliable network, and corporates can get a leased line from basic service providers. Leased lines come in 64 kbps and also in 124 kbps, 256 kbps and 512 kbps. Leased lines are offered by some of the service providers like VSNL and BSNL.

n VPN: Service providers like BSNL, MTNL, and Sify are waking up to the potential of IP-VPNs to bring them new customers. For a 2 Mbps line, BSNL is charging 7.7 lakh while 256 kbps is being offered at 1.49 lakh. The minimum assured bandwidth that is being offered is 25 percent of VPN port subscribed. Though the adoption rates among enterprises have been slower than expected, but it is emerging as a potential option for the corporates. Service providers are expecting IP VPN to become a data connectivity medium of choice overtaking traditional networks like ATM and frame relay. The factors for the growing acceptance of IP VPN among the enterprises are its relatively lower costs and flexibility. IP VPN is far more flexible—operationally—than ATM or Frame Relay (FR).

Since IP VPN services can be delivered via the public Internet, a carrier can easily connect to an enterprise with its business partners anywhere across the globe. An enterprise’s global reach via frame relay or ATM is restricted to the locations that have been fitted into its original network design. What is more, the ATM and Frame Relay solutions are not easily scalable. An enterprise is stuck with a predetermined amount of bandwidth, which makes it difficult to quickly acquire more in order to cater to sharp and sudden increases in traffic flow.

n Digital Subscriber Line (DSL): DSL uses the existing phone line without requiring an additional line. It is a technology for bringing high-bandwidth applications like video-conferencing and video-on-demand to home and small businesses over ordinary copper telephone lines. Connection speeds in DSL typically range from 512 kbps to 1.544 Mbps downstream and around 128 kbps upstream. For accessing DSL services, one has to connect a DSL modem to the DSL line of the local area network (LAN). Once connected, DSL modem provides continuous connection to the Net. In order to get better DSL service, the end-user must be within a certain geographical distance from the telephone exchange, to avoid signal degradation.

DishnetDSL is a prominent player in this segment. Bharti Telenet through its ZipNet brand has also made its entry recently.

There is nothing wrong with the technology as such but it has not been deployed widely.

n Satellites: Satellites can be used for accessing the Internet one-way or two-way. To access the Internet, the corporate user has to put up a VSAT, which comprises an antenna and an adapter card, at the subscriber’s PC connected to the external outdoor antenna by a cable. The user sends the request by the normal telephone line and downloads through a satellite broadcast that is received by the VSAT and comes to the PC. In the two-way mode, both the request and the download happen through the satellite. This offers significant benefits to consumers, including an ‘always-on’ connection that saves time when dialing up to the Internet and eliminates the need for a second telephone line. It is provided by many operators like HECL, Bharti Broadband, HCL Comnet, and Comsat Max.

n Fixed Wireless—LMDS and MMDS: Local multipoint distribution system (LMDS) is a broadband wireless point-to-multipoint communication system operating above the speed of 20 GHz (depending on the country of licensing) that can be used to provide digital two-way voice, data, Internet, and video services. The technology provides a competitive opportunity to embedded wireline or wireless networks for providing high-speed data transmission. Multipoint microwave distribution system (MMDS) channels come in chunks of 6 MHz and run on both licensed and unlicensed channels. Each channel can reach transfer rates as high as 27 Mbps (over unlicensed channels) and 1 Gbps (over licensed channels). The problem with this access technology is that since it works on line-of-sight concept, it does not works well in the mountainous terrain but is suitable for rural areas where copper lines are unavailable. A typical set-up of an MMDS system is a wireless system consisting of head-end and reception equipment at every subscriber location. There are very few players in this segment.