Flexible virtual private LAN rolls out across UK

Can run bandwidth intensive applications, voice and data

Ethernet service provider Exponential-e has rolled out a virtual private LAN service (VPLS)-enabled network to support companies wishing to run bandwidth-intensive applications or converged voice and data.

“We are launching a service offering VPLS and a service-aware component that senses what applications are running over our network and acts accordingly to deliver better quality of service for applications like VoIP,” said Exponential-e chief technology officer Adrian Hobbins.

The firm said customers will have plug-and-play capability with any-to-any Ethernet Layer 2 connectivity, Multiple services and applications can be delivered independently, eliminating the requirement for individual Ethernet virt- ual LANs to be created. The new service also removes the need to tag customer network traffic since it can identify traffic and automatically prioritise it according to each customer’s defined priorities.

Hobbins said the service can be adjusted for anywhere between 2Mbit/s and 1Gbit/s and runs over an optical fibre network. Extra capacity can be ordered quickly online through the Network Operations Centre in London, he added.

A 10Mbit/s connection to Exponential-e’s network costs between £8,000 and £10,000 a year depending on location, Hobbins said. Linking multiple offices and remote workers would incur additional charges, he added.

Exponential-e said the UK-wide rollout will provide a platform for enterprises needing services such as voice telephony, bandwidth-heavy e-commerce applications, or bandwidth-on-demand for “bursty” applications such as video downloads or software distribution, for example. Exponential-e has 70 points of presence in the UK, and its own links to the US and Europe.