AT&T (NYSE: T) has requested the FCC's permission to shutter its fractional DS1 service provided by affiliates in 12 states, part of an ongoing effort to offload unused legacy services as its customers transition to IP.
Specifically, AT&T will discontinue this service throughout its geographic service areas in Arkansas, California, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas and Wisconsin.
If it gets necessary FCC regulatory approval, AT&T said in a filing that it will stop offering the service on or after Aug. 31, 2016. After that date, AT&T will stop renewing existing agreements or process, move, add, or change orders for existing fractional DS1 customers.
AT&T plans to discontinue existing service arrangements on or after July 30, 2017 or when the existing agreements expire.
Fractional DS1 is a legacy TDM-based service that provides digital transmission of nominal 128, 256, 384, 512 and 768 Kbps serial data to business customers. Fractional DS1 channels are provided for two-point service between "customer designated premises" or between a "customer designated premises" and a telephone company digital hub.
The service provider said in a filing that "the public convenience and necessity will not be impaired by this service discontinuance because there is very low demand for this service."
While this is the latest request AT&T has made to discontinue a service, it won't be the last. All of the large ILECs are discontinuing various legacy offerings, driven by their customers' migration from TDM to IP-based services like Ethernet and VoIP.
Earlier this month, AT&T asked the FCC for permission to discontinue its BellSouth Analog Voice Grade Private Line services in Carbon Hill, Alabama, and Kings Point, Florida.
In March, AT&T asked the FCC for permission discontinue six operator services: collect calling, person-to-person calling, billed to third party, busy line verification, busy line interrupt and international directory assistance. Earlier, the service provider sought permission to shut down its BellSouth analog video service in Carbon Hill and Kings Point.
For more:
- see this FCC filing (PDF)
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