Williams expands network offerings: Company plans to operate 95 switches by 2000

Change is afoot at Williams Network. The wholesale carrier is widening its bandwidth offerings and, through an agreement with Intermedia Communications Inc., expanding its frame relay footprint.

"We're rolling our nationwide frame [relay] service at two different levels," said Mark Heaton, frame relay product manager. "With the conventional service platform, we are able to extend our reach out through ICI's network to 160 switches. The enhanced frame relay services are supported off the switches on our network that we control directly." By the first quarter next year, Williams will maintain 40 switches and have 95 by 2000.

Conventional frame relay services will support DS-0 (64 kb/s) to T-1 (1.54 Mb/s) port speeds. However, the enhanced service platform goes beyond this to include three new services. Frame-to-ATM Service Internetworking lets all frame relay sites seamlessly link to all asynchronous transfer mode sites on the Williams network. Carriers can add ATM incrementally and don't have to make a wholesale shift from one service to the other.

Customer Network Management Service allows customers to place and track orders and trouble tickets via the Web. Customers also can view their network map, receive alarms that affect their services and check billing information.

The final enhanced service is a flexible committed information rate service that lets carriers buy varying amounts of bandwidth based on customer need. During peak business hours, for example, carriers can request more bandwidth, while in off-peak hours, the bandwidth can be reallocated to Internet service providers.

In related news, Williams signed a $10 million contract with Sentient Networks for access equipment that supports smaller bandwidth pipes. Originally targeting carriers needing DS-3 (45 Mb/s) and above, "we were surprised by the number of wholesale customers who required lower than DS-3 to DS-1 and DS-0," said Steve Yoder, product manager for Williams.

To address those requests, Williams is rolling out Sentient's Ultimate access solutions in what Yoder dubs a "virtual access cross-connect" in 10 or 12 points of presence (POPs) each month starting in January 1999. By mid-year, all of Williams' 60-plus POPs will have the Sentient equipment, which also will be standardized for new builds.

The service expansion follows Williams' value-added wholesale strategy, said Christine Heckart, vice president of consulting with TeleChoice. "They are looking for ways to provide their customers with the ability to deliver low-speed service without having them make a big capital investment. Williams makes the investment for them," she said. Customers will pay a premium for the service-expanded frame relay coverage or more bandwidth options.

"They can keep the customer locked into [their] business, and over time that supports better margins. It's harder to win a customer than to keep and existing customer," she added.