MediaOne will use its Los Angeles system for a new
high-speed-data service aimed at businesses and studios, called MediaOne Connect.
The MSO will detail the service today (Feb. 9), as it
officially launches in Los Angeles. Executives contacted last week said MediaOne Connect
is not affiliated with the merged MediaOne Express/Road Runner data service, which is
targeting residences for cable-modem service.
'With the merger going on, we didn't want to mix
this into it,' said Scott Tolleson, vice president and general manager of MediaOne
Connect. 'Plus, this is a very different product than residential cable-modem service
-- this is a $5,000- to $100,000-per-month service, and not a $40-per-month service.'
It is unclear whether MediaOne will also launch the service
in its other metro markets. But the MSO is certain to expand beyond the Los Angeles area
to other points in California, executives said.
Tolleson said MediaOne Connect will go after Pacific Bell,
GTE Corp. and @Home Network in its pursuit of businesses that need high-speed-data links
in the Los Angeles area.
'This is the broadest broadband there is,'
Tolleson said. 'It's a service that's not generally available from the
local telcos, and from us, it will be more affordable.'
@Home currently has about 100 business customers for its
@Work division in Los Angeles, confirmed Matt Wolfrom, corporate spokesman for @Home.
@Work's partner in its business-data ventures is Teleport Communications Group, which
AT&T Corp. agreed to buy two months ago.
MediaOne Connect also has customers already, but Tolleson
declined to discuss how many or who they are.
Specifically, MediaOne Connect will use its ATM-switched
(asynchronous transfer mode) fiber network to provide data to businesses at speeds ranging
from 4 megabits per second to 622 mbps, said Bob Hunt, director of broadband engineering
for the service.
Tolleson said businesses and studios in the area will
benefit from having a single supplier for local-loop, metropolitan-routed or switched and
nationwide backbone services. That includes MediaOne's national backbone, he added.
Initially, the MSO will offer three services, branded
MetronetOne, InternetOne and D-One.
MetronetOne is the metropolitan network that connects
various businesses and studios around Los Angeles, Tolleson said. MetronetOne customers
can then sign up for InternetOne, which adds variable-speed Internet connections to the
core metro-ring service.
The D-One service is targeted at the many studios and
postproduction houses in the area, which frequently need to send high-quality
'D-1' footage. They can do so by sending uncompressed digital video around the
network.
MediaOne Connect will be based in Los Angeles.
