Qwest's SLA is attractive, with on-net latency guaranteed as low as 50 ms and off-net only 95 ms to certain other IP networks. (Qwest would not define which networks "certain" meant.) Packet-delivery guarantees are also acceptable, with Qwest promising not to lose more than 0.5 percent within the United States. Overall, pricing is almost, but not quite, as attractive as Virtela's. We asked Qwest for pricing over a two-year period (which is what Virtela gave us), but we didn't receive a timely response.
Qwest fell short only in its traffic prioritization: Basically, right now, Qwest doesn't have any. To get around this lack of CoS offerings, the vendor has overbuilt its private routing network to make sure that packets aren't sitting around the core routers waiting for bandwidth. CoS can be enabled at the premises routers to manage traffic heading toward the network, but from there, anything goes. Qwest acknowledged that customers prefer some sort of CoS, and said it's actively developing a future enhancement to rectify this shortcoming.
Private Routed Network and Dedicated Internet Access. Qwest Communications International, (800) 743-3793. www.qwest.com
MCI was the only vendor to come up with two different responses to our RFI. Both solutions, however, were extremely pricey.
Because our fictitious manufacturer's goal is to cut costs, neither solution would fit WAAP's need, even if the renamed WorldCom has returned to the level of service the classic MCI--known for being expensive but providing better service than its competitors--once offered. MCI's Private IP Service, the only MPLS-based service in this RFI group, would certainly bust our budget, with $9,282 in monthly charges on top of a $3,700 installation charge. The good news is that with Private IP, WAAP could keep its routers and have the new service within nine days. The bad news is that this option really doesn't eliminate frame relay at the edge, nor does it save money.
Private IP uses MPLS and rides on top of MCI's existing frame and ATM networks. This technology has several benefits: First, data travels as securely as it would over a conventional frame relay network. MPLS networks constantly change the routing of packets, based upon the type of traffic and bandwidth needed. And MCI's Private IP would provide the best security possible for our company's data as it traversed a network.
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