West Midlands SMEs can now benefit from the same superfast Internet as large enterprises thanks to an innovative Solihull convergence specialist.

Bullet, the new service from Convergence Group, will give thousands of small businesses across the region the opportunity to take advantage of the fastest Internet speeds available at a vastly reduced price, levelling the communications playing field for SMEs.

Launched in April, Bullet is one of the first providers to take advantage of BT’s Ethernet in the First Mile (EFM) technology – part of BT’s 21st Century Network – using the same Ethernet delivery system that big corporations use for their expensive leased lines. The new service offers it at a fraction of the cost to small businesses operating within a mile of their BT exchange.

Entirely scalable, businesses can use as much or as little of the 10Mbps (Megabits per second) connection as required, only paying for what is needed. The increased bandwidth provided by the Ethernet system allows other communications requirements – like telephone systems – to be consolidated within the same service, streamlining operations. It also improves the performance of other business applications such as email, cloud computing or remote worker connections and adds a ‘future-proof’ element for growing businesses likely to need expandable bandwidth as they continue to adopt cutting edge technologies.

Neal Harrison, managing director of Convergence Group and the driving force behind Bullet, explains: “Traditionally, the Ethernet delivery system has only been available at a premium, which has priced out the majority of SMEs. It’s meant that whilst larger businesses can operate at greater efficiency, smaller firms are left at the mercy of a slower, less reliable service that can fluctuate, costing them vital time and money.  

“For the first time, Bullet is going to offer enterprise-level technology to SMEs at a fraction of the cost. And as a proudly local company, we’re very excited about giving West Midlands businesses the opportunity to benefit before we roll it out nationally later in the year.”

Unlike most broadband connections, a Bullet line isn’t shared with other users, which side-steps the common problem of slower download times during peak demand. Businesses using the new service will have access to an online dashboard displaying real-time statistics, usage, performance and Service Level Agreement details. Bullet guarantees to beat any other provider on price.

Convergence Group chooses BT Wholesale to grow data services

Convergence Group (Networks) Ltd has selected BT Wholesale as its preferred supplier of data services in a deal worth £10 million over five years.  The agreement will enable Convergence to improve the level of service it offers existing customers and deliver an enhanced IP-based product portfolio, expanding its reach to small and media sized businesses.

Convergence will benefit from access to BT Wholesale’s extensive national Ethernet footprint, which runs over 21CN and now totals 782 nodes, providing the widest coverage in the UK. By selecting BT, Convergence is improving its Ethernet network capability and consolidating its leased line and Ethernet supply chain, enabling it to simplify its delivery process.

Neal Harrison, Managing Director, Convergence Group, said: “As a growing organisation Convergence Group absolutely needs a consistent, reliable supplier who can meet our growing bandwidth and access requirements comfortably with minimum effort. BT Wholesale’s Ethernet product is replacing the ‘access method’ for the vast majority of our products and is putting us in the position of being able to offer cost effective, high bandwidth, flexible customer solutions including VPLS, Internet Access and point-to-point connections.”

Colin Annette, client director, BT Wholesale, said: “We are delighted that Convergence has chosen BT Wholesale as a key partner to grow its business. With the largest UK Ethernet reach we can take Convergence nearer to the end customer, reducing access costs and placing both BT and Convergence in a more competitive place in the market. Through our 21CN network we are enabling Convergence to continue to provide innovative network solutions well into the future”

As the biggest player in the industry, BT Wholesale provides improved cost efficiency, versatility and scale as well as its capability of providing managed services to the UK’s largest communications providers, to its channel customers. This expertise, coupled with the widest voice, broadband and data portfolio in the industry has seen BT Wholesale grow the value of its channel business contracts by more than 80% in the last two years.

Source: http://www.btplc.com/News/Articles/Showarticle.cfm?ArticleID=1E2B8D95-8710-4593-92AA-0B4CBA239BB7