Airtel hopes to launch by Dec

Broadband Quality of Service (QoS) Test Result

Source : www.lirneasia.net


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SLTnet goes 3Gbps International Bandwidth...

Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT), the nation's number one integrated communications service provider is happy to announce upgrading and muscling up its international internet backbone. SLTnet, the internet arm of SLT which is the largest internet service provider (ISP) in Sri Lanka today offers up to 3 Giga bits per second (Gbps) international internet bandwidth, adding even more capacity to be of better serve to the nation.

SLT has direct connectivity to Global ISPs in Asia, Europe and USA as well as the highest rated social networking, web application and video service providers in the world. This is part of the company’s drive to cater to the internet users’ needs by providing faster access to information at any time, any where and on any device via its Next Generation Network (NGN) architecture.

With this initiative, SLT provides internet users in Sri Lanka super fast access to online web applications such as web search, web mail, calendar, images, VoIP calling applications, audio, video and maps amongst a host of other most popular features on the internet. Also SLT is now in the process of further upgrading and improving the direct connectivity with social networking, web application and video service providers as and when the need for broader bandwidth arises.

Commenting on this internet backbone upgrade, SLT Chairperson, Leisha De Silva Chandrasena said, “Today the internet market is rapidly developing. There has been an increase of internet traffic in Sri Lanka, which has been a considerable investment for SLT over a period of time. Also we see that the demand for Broadband in Sri Lanka is on par with global trends. Taking this into account, we want to provide a quality internet experience to Sri Lankan internet users. That is the reason behind SLT’s huge investments in laying down of giant infrastructure for international and domestic connectivity. We are committed to undertake continuous upgrades in our network to bring about a better future to the lives of all Sri Lankans. It has also been our aspiration to do whatever possible to improve our services to deliver a quality customer experience”.

Adding further to the Chairperson’s comment, SLT CEO, Pat Abayasekara said, “SLT is happy to invite and facilitate the hosting of mirror sites of all popular international sites like Google, Yahoo, MSN, Facebook, Youtube etc., to improve the quality of services to Sri Lankan internet users and to help avoid the bottlenecks found in the international internet backbone.

SLT has already implemented integrated IP based Soft-switch and Media Gateways to deliver quality infotainment content to the country’s internet users. Today, SLT has the capability of providing Next Generation Network services through its domestic and international state-of-the-art IP backbone. It also takes the company a step further in its transition to a fully-fledged communication solutions provider. With the technology and infrastructure already in place, SLT is also looking forward to business convergences with fixed, internet, mobile and multimedia businesses in the local and global environments.

SLT, the largest Internet service provider in Sri Lanka, is the unchallenged, dominant player with a share of more than 60% of the Internet market, and caters to the needs of the wider community of Sri Lankans, be it residential or corporate in nature.. The company offers a host of internet services like dialup internet with many value added features, pre-paid internet services, Broadband internet through ADSL technology, Wi-Fi, international internet roaming, hosting services at the internet Data Centre (iDC), Broadband internet connectivity for valued corporate customers to their IP-VPN (Internet Protocol Virtual Private Network), Broadband internet through Metro Ethernet connectivity, VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) as well as international IP transit services are part of its global services.

ADSL Tariff in SL

Tariff for Broadband Subscriber Lines

1. Entrée Package

• 512Kbps down load and 128Kbps Up load
• Service can be offered in any area where present ADSL available
• Service Provisioning Fee Rs.500.00
• Monthly Rental Rs.1000.00
• Monthly Usage Allowance 1Gigabyte (1024MB)
• Additional 250MB block Rs.250.00
  
Migration from One Package to the other


• Entrée to ADSL Home or ADSL Office is Rs.1500.00
• ADSL Home or ADSL Office to Entrée is Rs.400.00
  
Please note that the above charges are subjected to VAT

2. Other Packages - Monthly Rental (Rs.)



	Home Express	Office Express
	Upto 512 kbps(Down)/Upto 128 kbps (Up)	Upto 2048 kbps(Down)/Upto 512 kbps(Up)
Dynamic IP only	2,250.00	6,750.00



Note : Cost of the customer premises equipment (Modem), which the customer should purchase
separately,is not included in the monthly rental. For Instrument Purchases click here

3. Service Provisioning Fee is Rs: 2,000.00 (Once only)
This charge is applicable only for Home Express and Office Express

Please note that the above charges are subjected to VAT

Mobile Broadband (HSDPA) Tariff

M3 High Speed Internet Packages

For access through your M3 Data Device

Post Paid Packages	Zoom 512	Zoom 1024	Zoom 3600	Zoom 7200
Subscription (Rs)	400	1,500	5,000	15,000
Free Data Bundle	250 MB	1.5 GB	5 GB	15 GB
Downlink Speed Up to	512 kbps	1 Mbps	3.6 Mbps	7.2 Mbps
Uplink Speed Up to	384 kbps	384 kbps	384 kbps	1.98 Mbps
Excess Usage Charge	- - Rs. 10 for a block of 10 MB - -
Connection Fee (Rs.)	500	500	500	500
Deposit (Rs.)	1,500	1,500	6,000	15,000

Pre Paid Package
Rate per kB (Rs.)	0.02
Session Fee (Rs.)	2.00
Downlink Speed Up to	512 kbps
Uplink Speed Up to	128 kbps
Connection Fee (Rs.)	500

Criteria for Free Data Bundle
Threshold	20 MB
Free Data Bundle	200 MB
Evaluation period of Threshold	30 Days
Validity period of Free Data Bundle	30 Days

For access through your 3G Mobile phone

If you want to enjoy M3 High Speed Internet for both Data and Voice from your 3G Mobile Phone, the following rates will apply. (Pre Paid/ Post Paid)

Packages available for Voice/Video Subscribers
Rate per kB (Rs.)	0.02
Session Fee (Rs.)	2.00
Downlink Speed Up to	512 kbps
Uplink Speed Up to	128 kbps
Connection Fee (Rs.)	500

Criteria for Free Data Bundle
Threshold	20 MB
Free Data Bundle	200 MB
Evaluation period of Threshold	30 Days
Validity period of Free Data Bundle	30 Days

* If you originally were a 2G subscriber, your connection is now SUPER 3.5G enabled, and you can now access M3 High Speed Internet from your 3G Mobile Phone

Dialog HSPA - Unlimited Mobile Broadband (6GB Quota for Rs.3000/- + VAT )

Monthly fee entitles customer to broadband usage of unlimited duration and unlimited data volume (download/upload) however subject to a Fair Usage Policy (FUP) whereby download/upload speeds would be reduced relative to their maximum levels following monthly usage exceeding 5GB. The FUP is designed to ensure that the service received by the vast majority of our customers is not negatively impacted because of extremely heavy usage by a very small minority of customers.

How does the Fair User Policy Package (FUP) work?

The customer will experience 7.2Mbps download and 2Mbps Upload speed upto usage of 5GB. Once usage passes beyond 5GB, the quality of service will be downgraded to download a speed of 384kbps and upload a speed of 64kbps and will continue for the next 1GB usage. Beyond 6GB the quality of service will be downgraded to download a speed of 64kbps and upload a speed of 16kbps.

Usage Threshold Maximum Download Speed Maximum Upload Speed 0 - 5GB 7.2 Mbps 2 Mbps 5GB - 6GB 384 Kbps 64 Kbps > 6GB 64 Kbps 16 Kbps

After the billing cycle the quality of service will be reset to the original position.

How are customers charged?

Monthly rental of Rs. 2990/- will be charged (Exclusive of Tax)

Any possibility of enhancing the quality of service once the customer exceeds the usage limit within the bill cycle?

Yes. The customer will be charged a onetime fee based on the number of days for the next billing cycle. Then the service will be reverted to the original position, where the customer will enjoy the maximum data rates for the entire bill cycle. Then these customers will not undergo any degrading process for the rest of the billing cycle. Customers will be charged Rs. 100/- per day (exclusive of Tax) e.g. – If the customer exceeds the threshold on 10th of August 2008 and requests to extend the QOS on same date – He/She will be charged onetime fee for the remaining five days in the bill cycle.

Could the customer subscribe to the Fair User Policy Package (FUP) within the billing cycle?

Yes. When the customer subscribes for GPRS - Fair User Policy Package (FUP), during the billing cycle, the customer will be charged Rs. 2990/- service rental for the period of one month. After subscribing to FUP, the customer will not be charged based on the usage.

Mobile Broadband

Upon implementation Various network standards may be used, such as WiMAX, UMTS/HSPA, EV-DO and some portable satellite-based systems.

Exploring the Advantages and Disadvantages of Mobile Broadband

In today’s world, it seems almost impossible to get through the day without accessing the Internet. If you travel often, however, finding access points can be difficult. For this reason, you might be interested in obtaining a mobile broadband system. Before doing so, however, it is important to explore the advantages and disadvantages of mobile broadband before you decide if it is right for you.

Advantage #1: Convenience and Portability

The most obvious advantage to mobile broadband is the fact that it is quite convenient to use. With mobile broadband, you can connect to the Internet from any location – and you only need to have a portable modem with you. This means you don’t have to carry a laptop around with you, either, if you don’t want to. So long as you have the modem and a USB port, you can access the Internet from anywhere you like.

Advantage #2: No Need for a Land Line

Whether you are using your mobile broadband at home or while traveling, you will be happy that you don’t need to have an additional fixed land line to obtain broadband access. Therefore, mobile broadband is extremely portable – it can even be taken overseas with you if you like.

Advantage #3: Flexibility

With mobile broadband, you can choose between using a data card, bluetooth external dongle, or a USB device depending upon your preference. This added flexibility can help you utilize the type of equipment you have access to at the time.

Disadvantage #1: Lack of Reception

Although mobile broadband can be used at virtually any location, there is always the possibility that you will not be able to get reception from where you are located. If you can’t get reception, you won’t be able to have broadband access. In addition, if several people are connected at the same time, it is possible for the speed of Internet access to be slowed down.

Disadvantage #2: Limited bandwidth

A mobile broadband connection generally has a smaller bandwidth than a land line broadband connection of the same price, both in terms of speed and monthly data allowance. On the other hand, mobile broadband is often available as a pay-per-MB pricing model with no monthly fee. This may be cheaper than renting a land line for internet access, for light internet users who do not transfer a lot of data.

Disadvantage #3: Making Calls

Depending upon the company you use for your mobile broadband access, you may not be able to make calls with the sim. Therefore, if making calls through your system is important, be certain to check into your options.

Most major carriers offer broadband speeds for internet connections. These broadband connections use either EV-DO or EDGE technology. When this service is not available, most networks will revert to a slower speed.

The Basics of Broadband

Broadband technology is the always-open gateway to a new world of Internet-connected services delivered at lightning-fast speeds.

Engineered by many of the companies that have funneled cable television and telephone service to U.S. households for decades, broadband is a huge pipeline that links consumers to the Internet. Thanks to its digital roots, broadband eliminates the so-called "world wide wait" that plagues slower, less-advanced technologies.

Broadband technology also is fostering a new class of consumer- and business-related services. Services in development include Internet-based telephone and videoconferencing; viewer-customized TV feeds and e-mail with audio and video attachments.

Major telecommunications and new media players such as MediaOne, AT&T, SBC Communications, Rhythms NetConnections, the Baby Bells, DirecTv, Microsoft Corp. and Intel Corp. are making major investments in this field. But they must vanquish major challenges before broadband technology gains mass acceptance. What's more, they need marketing, subscriber-acquisition/retention and customer-service support.

Today's broadband arena is crowded with competitors. Consumers are finding it difficult to choose the high-speed Internet-access service that best suits their needs. It's a problem directly tied to the marketplace's lack of objective, comprehensive information about broadband.

Make no mistake: Broadband's marketplace-penetration prospects are bright. A recent report issued by the marketing research firm Forward Concepts estimates that broadband subscribers will reach 35 million in the U.S. by 2005. But today's broadband takeup rate is slow compared to that of so-called "dial-up" Internet-access services such as America Online that rely on slow telephone-line connections to the Internet. Of the U.S.' estimated 50.3 million Internet-access service subscribers, 94% of them use dial-up connections.

Broadband Defined

The rush to deliver Internet access is unprecedented. More than half of the U.S.' 100 million households have personal computers, and almost half of those PC users subscribe to an Internet-access service.

More than 90% of those online subscribers pay for dial-up service, usually provided by an Internet service provider (ISP) that offers Internet access over slow, 56-kilobits-per-second (kbps) or 28.8-kbps computer modems and a telephone company's copper lines.

Broadband-access penetration has been sluggish for several reasons. Cable and telephone companies have been slow to upgrade their networks with fiber-optic and other expensive technologies. Independent DSL enterprises have also had trouble winning access to the telephone companies' proprietary lines.

As those networks come online, service providers must market their services to a population whose grasp of the technology is tentative. For all of the grousing among dial-up service subscribers about how long it takes them to move from Web site to Web site on the Internet, most of those users say that moving up to speedier broadband service may be too big a step at this point.

The Technology

Newton's Telecom Dictionary defines "broadband" as "a transmission facility that has a bandwidth, or capacity, greater than a [telephone] line. Such a broadband facility … may carry numerous voice, video and data channels simultaneously."

To put it plainly, a broadband network is a fat, highly engineered pipeline laid by a cable TV, telephone or independent service provider. Wireless pipelines are also being built by satellite-based and terrestrial companies.

A vital component of that pipeline is digital technology. It compresses vast amounts of voice, video and data information broken down into "bits." Broadband can ferry exponentially more audio, video and data information, or bits, than regular cable, telephone or wireless connections can. Broadband can deliver TV- and radio-like signals to a PC, as well as connect a user to the Internet, in the blink of an eye. Think of the difference between broadband and dial-up service -- often referred to as "narrowband" -- as the difference between a fire hose and a garden hose.

Two more keys to boosting a pipeline's capacity to carry voice, video and data are fiber-optic technology, which uses light waves to transmit data, and fiber optics' next-generation brother Passive Optical Networks (PON). PON technology runs optical fiber from a customer's residence to a central telephone or cable system office by splitting that fiber among many homes. The result is super-fast transmission speeds of up to 1.25 gigabits per second (gbps).

Because it can convey so much digitized information so fast, broadband technology solves the problems faced by network operators trying to keep up with the World Wide Web's explosive growth. Broadband, unlike its predecessor technologies, creates the capacity for network operators to deliver new, bandwidth-hungry applications like videoconferencing; streaming audio and video; interactive games; and real-time voice services.

The Players

Several technologies provided by a range of vendors deliver high-speed, broadband-based access services. At the head of the pack today in terms of subscribership is cable-modem technology.

U.S. cable TV companies such as AT&T, Time Warner Inc., Charter Communications and MediaOne have installed thousands of miles of copper-based coaxial cable, as well as fiber-optic lines, in underground networks across the nation. Those networks funnel video and audio signals to homes and businesses that are translated by decoder boxes attached to television sets.

Because that video and audio traffic uses only part of a cable company's pipeline, there's usually room to offer more services, such as high-speed Internet access, if digital technology is added.

A cable modem is the gateway that lets a home or business tap that pipeline to the Internet. A "hybrid" fiber-coax (HFC) network can deliver data at rates ranging from 3 mbps to 10 mbps -- more than 100 times faster than a 56-kbps, dial-up modem. That network also promotes, among many services, the deployment of Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) local telephone service; digital TV services that deliver hundreds of video channels; and interactive TV applications.

Cable modems carry two major benefits for consumers: A lightning-fast connection to the Internet, and the fact that that link is always on. There is no need to dial into an Internet Service Provider (ISP) that uses telephone lines every time you want to get on the Internet.

This access changes consumer-usage patterns. For instance, subscribers "snack" more on information like weather, movie listings and stock quotes when it's always at their fingertips. In turn, the PC is moving more and more from the den and home office and into the family room.

What's more, broadband's blazing speed adds another dimension to Internet-based entertainment; saves time; and raises productivity/efficiency quotients on more work-oriented chores such as accessing databases, conducting research and Web surfing.

Today, cable modem installations total 1.8 million in the U.S., where some 70 million households subscribe to cable TV service. By 2003, eMarketer estimates that the modem-subscriber base will total more than 10 million. To get there, however, cable networks must be engineered to support two-way data traffic -- both downstream from the access provider to the individual user, and upstream from the individual user back to the provider. Cable's plant also must solve another issue: During peak usage times, cable modem speeds can drop due to the technology's party-line configuration.

Marketplace Challenges

Broadband's deployment lags the penetration rates generated by dial-up Internet-access services that primarily target consumers whose PCs have 56- or 28.8-kbps modems.

According to Forrester Research, only 6% of the U.S.' online households subscribe to a cable, telephone or wireless service providers' broadband service. In raw numbers, that totals about 3 million homes.

But the future is bright. DSL, cable modem and other broadband connections will hit the 35-million mark in the U.S. by 2005, according to a May, 2000, report from the marketing research firm Forward Concepts. They predict that such broadband-enabled services as packet voice transmission, e-commerce, videoconferencing, virtual private networks, and gaming will drive demand, particularly in the residential and small office-home office (SOHO) markets.

Of that 35-million-customer market seen in 2005, cable will account for 60% of the subscribership, with DSL dominating the SOHO and enterprise markets. For companies with fewer than 20 people, DSL penetration rates could near 50% and run as high as 75% in businesses with up to 100 people, according to Forward Concepts.

Nonetheless, broadband today is a relative infant in the telecommunications sector, and it faces a number of growing pains as it heads toward toddlerhood and into adolescence.

Infrastructure

Building the so-called "information superhighway" has been, and continues to be, a mammoth undertaking. The effort involves major industries and thousands of players in and around those industries -- many of them connected through strategic alliances, partnerships, joint ventures and/or common ownership.

Along those lines, cable- and telephone-network upgrades are proceeding at varying speeds, depending on the company. What's more, service providers must iron out any number of technological issues before they can provide seamless, bug-free service.

Wireless service providers must find ways to speed the upstream, or return-path, delivery of data to make that option more attractive to consumers, particularly in geographically isolated regions. And broadband players of all stripes, from Internet-access providers and vendors to content providers, must find ways to unclog the backbone bottlenecks that occur when large numbers of users access the Internet at one time.

Today's Market Environment

When high-speed-Internet service providers begin to reach beyond the 6% slice of online consumers who currently use broadband -- the so-called "early adopters" -- they face significant marketing challenges.

Consumers need help sorting through their choices. In some major markets as many as 20 companies offer Internet access, home-networking and other residential and commercial telecommunications services. Many consumers also know little about broadband technology, some 60% of the 502 respondents in an early 2000 Strategis Group survey said they knew almost nothing about DSL. Another 42% said they knew next to nothing about cable modems.

One major cable operator -- Cox Communications Inc. -- has reported impressive broadband penetration rates of about 5% in some of its markets after bundling high-speed access services with cable TV and telephone service in discounted monthly packages. But getting customers is not the same as keeping them.

Studies have shown that most users are satisfied with their service and would recommend it to friends. But fewer than half of those current subscribers would keep their service provider if a competitor came to town.

Customer Acquisition and Retention

Acquiring, retaining and upselling customers is an economic imperative, considering that access providers are spending enormous amounts of money to build out and upgrade their networks.

The average per-customer acquisition cost for ISPs and broadband-access providers is $150 to $200 -- a figure that isn't expected to drop in the near-term, according to Jupiter Communications. Factors cited include the sluggish takeup rate; a falloff in the number of U.S. households going online each year; and the use of access-service subsidies to try to grow market share. DSL providers such as Covad and Northpoint that target the small business market can spend several thousand dollars to acquire each customer.

Those expensive efforts could pay off in the long run: A majority of current broadband users -- 58%, according to one Forrester Research study -- value the always-on connection and the instant access to the Internet.

Going forward, broadband technology is expected to become a commodity much like electricity and water. As Wilf Corrigan, the chairman-CEO of LSI Logic Corp., has said, "The broadband-enabled global communications infrastructure represents the mother of all technology opportunities."