Birch Communications is now offering its small and medium-sized business customers three new speed options, including 12, 18, and 24 Mbps options, as a way to extend higher speeds to a segment whose options typically consist of expensive T-1 or cable modem services.
Business customers will have the option of purchasing the new speeds on either a standalone basis or as part of a bundle. They will also continue to offer their entry-level speeds of 1.5, 3 and 6 Mbps.
Before the debut of these tiers, Birch had primarily offered four data speed options: a 1.5 Mbps T-1 for just data, an integrated voice and data T-1, and two bonded options of 3 and 6 Mbps. It also offers a 3 and 6 Mbps DSL service offering.
Birch said that new options are about broadening its appeal to a larger set of SMB customers.
"We designed these new speed tiers to extend our current broadband offering so that we would have the right speed for every type of business," said Christopher Ramsey, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Birch, in a release.
While the service provider said the new speed tiers will be available across its footprint, it did not reveal pricing for the service, which will likely be delivered via IPDSL via a third party.
Laura Wagner, Marketing Manager for Birch Communications told Fierce Telecom in an e-mail that the company is "also actively engaged in developing/evaluating additional higher broadband speeds over copper, including Ethernet over copper, over our facilities network."
The timing of this service comes as Birch continues to expand through various acquisitions, including its recent deal to purchase Ernest Communications in June. Earlier, Birch completed what it said was the last phase of its multi-year network upgrade and expansion project where it upgraded 43 central offices, for a total of 290 COs.
For more:
- see the release
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Updated article on Nov. 13 with more information about technology used to deliver service and future service plans.