8el, first to wholesale ntl’s National Ethernet solutions

Reading, UK, March 8th, 2005 --- Specialist network operator 8el has expanded its extensive portfolio of services to include the provision of Ethernet service for customers. In March 2005 NTL launched a new addition to their industry-leading Ethernet solutions announcing a new national Ethernet product. 8el is the first carrier to deploy the service on their network. Working in conjunction with NTL Networks division, 8el was heavily involved in trialling the Ethernet service, from testing, to the successful deployment on an 8el customer site.

As part of their complete converged solutions, 8el is now offering national access to Ethernet connections to customers who require more than 6Mbps capacity but who wish to avoid incurring the normally associated high costs. By utilising NTL’s Ethernet product, 8el customers benefit from excellent coverage and availability throughout the UK as well as impressive latency figures. This collaboration strengthens 8el’s position as a one-stop-shop to the mid-corporate market delivering a complete communications solution.

8el’s need for Ethernet
8el delivers voice and data network services to over 35,000 users across the UK over its own ATM network. 8el has commitments to its corporate customers to provide Ethernet solutions, in order to provide a more flexible network infrastructure and enhanced technical performance for both legacy and future applications. As a light infrastructure carrier, investment in its own MPLS network was not an option for 8el. The solution was to look at the UK’s nationwide carriers and their Ethernet propositions.

Justin Hamilton-Martin, Managing Director, 8el commented: “We needed a partner who could offer us technical excellence, an assured Quality of Service (QoS) and broad regional coverage. Due to it is comprehensive geographical coverage ntl was an automatic consideration for us, but its performance claims were very attractive too.”

Technical Excellence
Latency was of paramount importance for 8el. It prides itself on its QoS and needed to be sure that switching to the faster speeds offered by MPLS would not compromise quality. “Under rigorous testing, ntl’s impressive latency claims stacked up. Its National Ethernet solutions delivered on a par with ATM, meaning that we can maintain the same quality of service to our customers at higher speeds,” added Mr Hamilton-Martin.

Quality of Service
Having worked with ntl at an SDH (Synchronous Digital Hierarchy) level for over a year, and based on the good service level received from ntl over that time, 8el was comfortable in selecting ntl as its partner of choice for National Ethernet. “We like ntl’s innovative pricing strategy; paying for speed not distance is a cost-effective solution for wide-spread corporates. Besides costs, we believe that one of the strengths of the ntl Networks division lies in its people. The technology was delivered on time, any teething problems were quickly resolved and the network has been 100 per cent available since the operational handover,” said Mr Hamilton-Martin.

Broad Regional Coverage
ntl’s National Ethernet solution leverages its £9bn national and local network infrastructure to deliver superior performance. Its proprietary Broadnet network is second-only to BT in terms of local reach and, unlike competitors, was built from scratch on next-generation IP technology. This enables ntl to be the only provider on the market to offer guaranteed delay, bandwidth and maximum jitter parameters, through reduced reliance on leasing capacity and on legacy copper capacity.

Mr Hamilton-Martin stated: “Coverage was a top consideration for 8el when selecting its Ethernet provider. ntl’s network is arguably one of the best in the UK.”

Peter Ryde, Director of Wholesale Services for ntl’s Networks division said: “Differentiation on performance and QoS are key in this market. As the largest alternative provider in the UK, ntl significantly outperforms its competition on latency, packet loss and jitter – vital components for the robust and reliable infrastructure required to support not only data but also voice and video traffic. We are offering carriers, such as 8el, a unique opportunity to take advantage of this network and drive their own revenues by offering National Ethernet as a wholesale proposition.”

8el has already deployed this service and is confident that this product will assist their accelerating expansion in the UK market.

About 8el
8el (pronounced ‘A-Tel’), is an innovative, specialist network operator providing efficient voice and data services to the corporate market. 8el’s growing customer base includes leading publishers Jane’s Information and Centaur Communications, technical services company Black Box, law firm Russell Jones & Walker and ADP, the world’s number one payroll provider. UK businesses use 8el to satisfy the communication challenges presented by their office, home and remote communities and derive strategic, financial and quality benefits.

8el is an established and trusted supplier to leading businesses, delivering voice and data network services to over 35,000 users. Solutions are deployed across a number of vertical markets including the recruitment, transport, publishing, accountancy and legal professions.

More on ntl’s Networks division

	ntl’s Networks division provides wholesale communications services to fixed and wireless carriers, Internet Service Providers, Systems Integrators and resellers.
	The division generates annual revenues of over £220 million from wholesale customers and manages the network that powers ntl’s £1.9 billion home and business divisions.
	ntl owns and operates the UK’s largest network built for the broadband era. Its core spans over 10,857 kilometres and passes a third of all UK homes and its access network covers 88,000km.
	This network is relied on for mission-critical communications by many of the UK’s most demanding customers including all five of UK’s mobile network operators, major international carriers (e.g. France Telecom and Telstra) and numerous high-profile ISPs.
	The division’s strategy is to empower its wholesale customers with maximum choice and functionality – from broadband to IP services, national to local access, bespoke to ‘off-the-shelf’ solutions – backed by consistent and competitive pricing.

For more information please contact:
Nelson Bostock Communications
Sally Welsh / Emma Turner
Tel: 020 7229 4400

Email: [email protected] / [email protected]
ntl Networks division
Christine Nixon
Tel: 01256 753948
Email: [email protected]

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For more information on 8el’s converged solutions contact Chris Sayer on 0845 33 000 93 or email [email protected]