MTN expands its metro ethernet footprint in major cities

Says Justin Colyn, GM of Fixed Mobile Convergence at MTN Business: "As a provider focused on offering customers the best when it comes to technology innovation and standards, MTN Business has been and continues to remain focused on building our own solid fibre network infrastructure. Having recognised that last mile fibre access is still proving to be a barrier for many businesses, as part of our approach to continually offering the customer a complete communications service that has no restrictions in terms of location, we have developed further strategic partnerships with various fibre providers to be able to provide customers with our Metro Ethernet solutions. This makes viable business sense as it allows us to continue to meet customer needs, and offer cost effective and quality access, as well as value added services in the cloud through Metro Ethernet."

The MTN Metro Ethernet product offering provides customers with a high speed, high availability and low latency broadband Ethernet service. Through this offering, customers can choose bandwidths speeds from 2MBPS to 1GBPS in specific intervals. The MTN Metro Ethernet service is based on a fibre network that uses Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) technology to supply point-to-point, point-to-multi-point or virtual LAN services between customer branches within the Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town and Durban metropolitan areas.

Product offers control, choice and flexibility

Through this service, customers will have access to a large range of existing innovative and cost effective cloud solutions including direct Internet, hosting, software as a service and voice to name a few. Additionally, customers will have access to a point-to-point Metro Ethernet service, which is an ideal service for a customer wanting to connect to a single or to multiple branches.

Continues Colyn: "Further to a competitive advantage, such a product offering empowers the customer with control, choice and flexibility, not to mention higher bandwidth speeds that every customer today is looking for."

The MTN Metro Ethernet offering can assist businesses in building a viable business strategy that capitalises on existing infrastructures, while at the same time lowering total cost of network ownership. Furthermore, this solution can replace redundant access technologies and act as a migration technology where businesses can have the connectivity required to achieve next generation services.

"As technology continues to evolve and subsequently impact business environments, ICT needs change. MTN Business recognises this and is therefore focused on further developing our fibre infrastructure, while currently expanding our Metro Ethernet footprint forms part of our business strategy to meet continually changing businesses needs and connectivity option, as we aim to assist in closing the current gap that exists regarding last mile access with partners who are flexible and scalable," concludes Colyn.