Speakeasy (News - Alert) has rolled out an extension of its Business Ethernet broadband series with a service offering of increased bandwidth designed to boost the performance of standard T1 connections to twice the current speeds.

 

The 5 Mbps of symmetrical bandwidth – the increased metrics that help muscle the new speeds – also clocks in with a lower cost per megabit across a T1 network, according to the company.

 

The service from the Seattle-based Speakeasy, a Best Buy company, is expected to provide small businesses with affordable, higher bandwidth connectivity, which includes 99.99 percent guaranteed uptime and 24x7 customer support.

 

“The 5 Mbps Business Ethernet offers our small business customers a significant step up in performance from a T1,” said Bruce Chatterley, president and CEO of Speakeasy. “The addition of this new service gives small businesses a full suite of business-class broadband options to meet the increasing demands of a variety of industry segments such as finance, technology, media and other business services.”

 

With the addition of 5 Mbps Business Ethernet to its portfolio, Speakeasy offers a full range of services to support virtually any small business broadband requirements.

In June, Speakeasy  launched the new Business Ethernet data, which initially offered small businesses 10 Mbps by 10 Mbps symmetrical bandwidth.

 

The idea beyond the service – designed to compete against cable and DSL offerings – is to increase speeds by providing 10 Mbps in both directions, as opposed to DSL and cable that offer fast download speeds but slower upstream connections.

 

 “Nothing else in the marketplace is really matching Business Ethernet right now,” said Peter Goldman of Goldman Lockey Consulting, a San Francisco-based Speakeasy partner who provides IT consulting services to small businesses.

 

According to Speakeasy, Business Ethernet provides faster bandwidth than a Bonded T1 and is considerably cheaper to purchase than a fractional DS3. The advantage to small businesses is seen in uploading file speeds; including videos. In addition, the improved service alleviates some of the traditional traffic associated with remote workers.

The 5 Mbps Business Ethernet is available in over 40 major metropolitan markets with a starting price at $849 per month.