Mercury Communications Ltd has announced what it claims is the UK’s first national Virtual Private Network service. Due to become commercially available at the end of the month, it is to have a usage-based tariff, with customers linked to it with a single 2Mbps line. This link, says Mercury, will be used to provide a combination of public switched telephone, Virtual Private Network and ISDN services through the use of DPNSS and standard signalling, and will give customers savings of up to 30% on leased lines cost, depending on network configuration. Smaller customers are also being given the option of indirect access via British Telecommunications Plc. The service is being pitched at three main applications: upgrading or replacing existing private networks; handling overflow from leased lines; or linking in small sites that were not previously cost-effective to connect into the corporate network. The National VPN service is intended to become a single point of contact, enabling customers to build hybrid networks from a range of services including public switched lines, private circuits, SwitchBand, Digital Centrex, and FreeCall. Other features to be offered include call screening, fast call set-up and calling line identification as well as company-wide short code dialling plans, and closed user groups. The Cable & Wireless Plc company says it will invest ?300m in the service over the next 10 years making the service available to 80% of the UK business population.
