Faster Than a Speeding Bullet . . . Well, Faster Than 56K Modems

MediaOne is opening up its advanced cable network to provide high-bandwidth network services to corporate customers in and around Los Angeles under the brand name MediaOne Connect, the company will announce today. The Southland will be the first market in the nation for three new services designed for transmitting data-rich files, including one for video.

The main service will be called MetronetOne and will connect customers to MediaOne’s local fiber-optic network at speeds of up to 622 megabits per second--nearly 11,000 times faster than a network connection with the fastest standard modems. The network will allow companies to exchange files among various sites on a private network, and to send files to other companies that are also MetronetOne customers, said Scott Tolleson, vice president and general manager for MediaOne Connect.

In addition, customers can get Internet access through the cable network with InternetOne. The connection could be as fast as 45 megabits per second, or nearly 800 times faster than a connection with a 56.6 kilobit-per-second modem.

The third service, D-One, will enable the transfer of uncompressed video files over 270 megabit-per-second connections. That service is expected to be popular among entertainment companies, Tolleson said.

The broad-band services will be available starting today everywhere MediaOne provides cable service, an area that stretches from the coastline to the 710 Freeway and from San Pedro to the Hollywood Hills. The company also built out its network in Santa Monica and Burbank, cities in which MediaOne does not have a cable TV franchise but which are home to many entertainment companies. Prices will range from $1,200 a month for very basic services to as much as $100,000 a month for high-end customers, Tolleson said.

MediaOne is investing $250 million in Los Angeles over a three-year period on infrastructure upgrades so it can provide network services, said Jeremy Stern, vice president of corporate and legal affairs at the company’s regional headquarters in El Segundo. The company is planning to offer telephony services over its cable lines as well, Stern said.