AT&T Corp and UK-based Mercury Communications Ltd say they have become the first carriers to offer T1 speed (1.536 megabits per second) transatlantic ISDN service. The two companies already offer 384 kbps ISDN service between the US and the UK. The T1 service will be offered as part of Mercury’s SwitchBand service and AT&T’s Global ISDN Service. Customers have the option of buying bulk switched digital data connections to make use of the high-bandwidth service at lower prices. Otherwise, customers will be charged for the duration of the call, excluding access charges. Peak calls – between 7 am and 1 pm EDT – will cost $4.04 for the initial 30 seconds, and $0.81 for each six seconds thereafter. Off peak rates are $3.03 and $0.61 respectively.
