Enhances Service Level Agreements For Dedicated Internet Access 4/29/02
CABLE & WIRELESS PLC ("CWP-BHDNX3") - Enhances Service Level Agreements For Dedicated Internet Access
Cable & Wireless Strengthens Regional and Global Latency
Performance and Expands SLA to Include Local Loop
Cable & Wireless, the global telecommunications group, announced enhanced service level agreements (SLAs) for its dedicated high-speed Internet access services over its global Internet Protocol (IP) network.
The enhanced SLAs offer customers of Cable & Wireless Internet Access and Cable & Wireless global.net services lower network latency within North America and Europe. Global business customers benefit from the industry's first network latency provisions for extended global routes between North America and Europe and between Europe and Asia-Pacific region. Cable & Wireless has also extended its SLA to cover local loop connections.
"Cable & Wireless has engineered its global IP network to deliver the highest quality performance and reliability for large enterprises, content providers and other service providers," said Andy MacLeod, chief operating officer, Cable & Wireless Global. "The strength of our global IP network enables Cable & Wireless to offer customers the strongest combination of performance, transparency and credible guarantees on price and service consistently around the world."
Latency
Cable & Wireless now offers the following average monthly roundtrip latency for traffic within Cable & Wireless' global IP network:
Intra-North America: 50 ms
Intra-Europe: 50 ms
Europe to North
American Routes: New York to London: 100 ms
Amsterdam, Brussels, Frankfurt,
and Paris in Europe to New York
and Washington DC in the US: 110 ms
North America to
Asia-Pacific Routes: San Francisco to Tokyo: 165 ms
San Francisco to Sydney: 180 ms
Europe to
Asia-Pacific Routes: Amsterdam, Brussels, Frankfurt,
London and Paris in Europe
to Tokyo in Japan: 310 ms
Local Loop SLA
Cable & Wireless now offers customers of Cable & Wireless Internet Access and Cable & Wireless global.net an SLA covering availability of their local loop connection. Together with the existing Cable & Wireless IP network availability, this enhancement will give customers service quality assurance from the Cable & Wireless core IP network to the local loop connection at the customer premise.
Web-based SLA Publication
In an effort to give customers the immediate benefit of improvements Cable & Wireless makes to its SLAs, Cable & Wireless has introduced a web-based component to its SLA contracts. Whenever an SLA improvement is posted on Cable & Wireless' SLA web site, customers will automatically benefit from those improvements rather than having to sign new SLA contracts.
Online Network Performance and Reporting
A pioneer in real-time online network performance tools, Cable & Wireless provides customers real-time global IP network performance and reporting at cw.com. Cable & Wireless also offers a new online simulation tool, Packet Loss Calculator, where customers can see how the superior performance of Cable & Wireless IP transit services, compared to competitors' services, gives customers value for money. The Packet Loss Calculator is available at cw.com.
Credits
Cable & Wireless backs its SLAs with competitive credits. In the event that Cable & Wireless fails to meet the average monthly network-wide latency and/or one percent packet loss service levels, the customer is entitled to a three-day pro-rated credit of the monthly recurring port charge.
In the event that the Cable & Wireless IP network is not available for 10 or more consecutive minutes because of a local loop ordered or provisioned by Cable & Wireless, the customer is entitled to a one-day pro-rated credit of the monthly recurring local loop charge. If the local loop outage lasts for more than one hour, the customer is entitled to a one-day pro-rated credit for each hour of downtime. In the event of an outage in the Cable & Wireless IP network for 10 or more minutes, the customer is entitled to a one-day pro-rated credit of the monthly recurring port charge. If the outage lasts for more than one hour, the customer is entitled to a one-day pro-rated credit for each hour of downtime.
Cable & Wireless is upgrading its core global IP network to OC-192 capacity using multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) for traffic engineering. Currently, seven network nodes across the US, UK and Europe operate at OC-192 capacity: New York; Washington, DC; London; Paris; Brussels; Amsterdam and Frankfurt. In the second quarter of 2002, Cable & Wireless will bring an additional five network nodes within the US to OC-192 capacity using MPLS. The network upgrade significantly improves the quality of service Cable & Wireless can offer customers and further reinforces the company's leadership position for providing superior network performance, quality and reach, consistently around the globe, via its tier one global IP network.
About Cable & Wireless
Cable & Wireless is a major global telecommunications business with revenue of over 8 billion pounds sterling (US$11 billion) in the year to 31 March 2001 and customers in 70 countries and consists of two core and complementary divisions: Cable & Wireless Regional and Cable & Wireless Global. Cable & Wireless Regional offers a full range of telecommunications services in 35 countries around the world. Cable & Wireless Global's focus for future growth is on IP (internet protocol) and data services and solutions for business customers. It has developed advanced IP networks and value-added services in the US, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region in support of this strategy. With its financial strength and the capability of its global IP infrastructure, Cable & Wireless holds a unique position in terms of global coverage and services to business customers. For more information about Cable & Wireless, go to cw.com. |
