MCI launches VoIP over DSL

MCI today announced it has extended its business’ VoIP services to DSL in 31 markets, making VoIP available to small offices and remote sites for the first time.

The deployment is over MCI’s own 709 central-office SDSL network, using its Rhythms NetCommunications assets, but MCI plans to extend the service to its Covad-supported customers, reaching an additional 300 central offices and doubling its addressable business market. In addition, MCI will extend BroadSoft’s IP Centrex suite of enhanced applications to DSL customers in June, offering features like integrated voice and e-mail, find-me-follow-me and other presence applications and remote office capabilities.

"This will be the equivalent of what you’d find in a high-end PBX, but we’re making it available to smaller businesses for the first time," said Sharon Kasimow, director of enhanced voice services for MCI.

MCI has been tweaking its VoIP offering since the beginning of the year, announcing upgraded and simplified customer premises equipment for its managed IP services in January and in February the incorporation of its VoIP portfolio into its private IP service. Today’s announcement is definitely one of its most aggressive since it announced its plans to exit bankruptcy last year. The VoIP offering opens up a potential new market of 4 million businesses across the country, and gives MCI’s enterprise customers a VoIP avenue for their remote and small offices, Kasimow said.

MCI will offer the service in two tiers, depending on the number of lines and data speeds customers want. A 384 kb/s service can support up to 8 concurrent conversations and 32 terminals while sacrificing most data functionality. A 768 kb/s service can scale up to 16 outgoing lines or allow customers to divide their bandwidth between voice and data. MCI will charge $200 a month for the basic 384 kb/s SDSL line plus $40 a month per phone line with local and long-distance calling inclusive.

The services are all SIP-based, but MCI has put traffic management functionality into both its edge routers and the customer premises equipment to ensure quality of service levels. The CPE router prioritizes all outgoing voice traffic over data traffic, and for incoming traffic, MCI is using new Cisco routing gear to identify and prioritize voice packets coming into the customer’s DSL line.