DataStream

Written on 9:56 AM by ooe

DataStream is a wholesale product that offers service providers the ability to connect to their customers to the service providers network. The product offers the service provider the ability to connect many users through BT's ATM network and provide an aggregated delivery to the service provider's IP network. The DataStream product is specifically designed and configured to permit the carriage of IPStream type services, yet without the compulsion to use BT's IP network. The product comes in three parts, an end user connection, a host link, and a virtual path to each exchange were service is required.

As with the VideoStream product, the users link into BT's network using the ADSL technology and traffic is aggregated towards the appropriate service provider using the ATM network and delivered over a host link connection. The traffic is transported over BT's network through a virtual path that routes the traffic from the DSLAMs in the exchange to the service provider over the host link.

There is a range of speeds available that map to those available on IPStream. For business users downstream rates are 0.5, 1, and 2 Mbit/s. The upstream rate is set to 256 kbit/s. For residential users, the downstream rate is 0.5 Mbit/s and the upstream rate is adaptive between 64 and 256 kbit/s. The actual upstream speed obtained by residential users depends upon the quality of the line and distance between the user and the local exchange. The host links are either STM-1 or 4 interfaces.

As with the IPStream product, the user traffic is contended into the virtual paths from the exchanges. This is again because the product it intended to support service provider services with ‘bursty’ type IP traffic. The range of DataStream user interfaces offered is also the same as for IPStream.

The commercial model means that even though DataStream is specifically designed to support service providers who wish to offer IPStream type services, it is also possible that a network provider could use the DataStream product, add their own IP network and sell the consequential managed IP product as a wholesale offering to other service providers. Similarly, there is not compulsion to provide an IP network, so it is also possible that service providers could provide alternative services based on ATM.