M1 offers new connectivity option for enterprises

Singapore

TELCO operator M1 on Friday expanded its corporate Internet services by introducing a new class of connectivity option which sits between its entry level service and its top-of-the-line high speed connectivity service targeted at large enterprises.

The telco has had, till now, two speeds on offer for its GPON (Gigabit Passive Optical Network) fibre service. One gives speeds of up to one giga bits per second (Gbps) and the other is its 10Gbps active ethernet service which is aimed at banks and other top enterprise customers.

The new service will sit in between the two services by offering what the telco says is Singapore's first 2Gbps to 10Gbps GPON service.

An M1 spokesman said the service was designed to address the gap in such corporate connectivity options for industry and it was aimed specifically towards small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) with growing connectivity needs. He added that M1 now offers Singapore's most extensive range of corporate connectivity options.

The new XGPON (the formal name of the offering with X standing for 10) service, priced at S$1,088 per month for a 2Gbps service to S$2,888 for a 10Gbps service (plus a one-time fee of S$858), are available immediately islandwide on the national fibre network to M1's corporate customers. M1 will offer a 99.95 per cent service guarantee.

The service will be extended to consumers by end-2015.

"We continually expand our suite of solutions, such as our 10Gbps active ethernet service, state-of-the-art data centre and cloud-based offerings, to meet the needs of the corporate segment," said Willis Sim, M1's chief product development and corporate solutions officer.

Through our engagement with customers, we recognise there is pent-up demand for a scalable and cost-effective connectivity option, especially from businesses with high-bandwidth requirements such as gaming and media companies, something not available previously, he added.

"We are pleased to further expand our product offerings with a competitively-priced GPON service that can scale from 2Gbps to speeds of up to 10Gbps, to meet this segment's needs," Mr Sim said.