ISP trials DSL access to the Internet

As service providers continue to search for the best technologies to access the Internet, UUNet Canada, an Internet service provider, is trying its hand at a digital subscriber line product and service trial.

UUNet Canada, a division of UUNet Technologies, a Fairfax, Va.-based Internet service provider, is believed to be the first ISP to roll out a DSL trial. "We are a leading-edge Internet service provider in Canada, and we believe this is a good opportunity to stay on the leading edge," said a spokesman at UUNet Canada in Toronto.

UUNet plans to roll out its DSL trial to a single commercial company, eventually supporting up to 400 DSL users at that corporate site. Users will be added to the trial DSL network in increments of 15 to 20, the spokesman said.

DSL access to the Internet will allow UUNet to offer its customers 1.544 Mb/s dial-up support over traditional copper wiring. Today, users are limited to analog modems that support 28.8 kb/s transmission rates and ISDN that offers up 128 kb/s transmission rates. DSL technology, including HDSL, ADSL and SDSL, also competes with cable modems looming in the background.

UUNet will use Westell's FlexCap modem racks and the FlexCap PC card modems that Westell also announced last week.

The FlexCap PC card will let desktop users access DSL services from their terminals using an internal PC modem card, said Marc Zionts, vice president and general manager of DSL systems sales and marketing at Westell.

Media Light, a Toronto-based software and network solutions company, worked closely with UUNet and Westell to design the upcoming trial network and product deployment. Westell is using authentication and communications software from Media Light in its FlexCap PC cards.

Westell's FlexCap PC card is slated for availability at the end of this year. Pricing has yet to be announced.