Ipstream
Encyclopedia
IPstream is the most highly-used wholesale
broadband Internet service in the United Kingdom
. BT Wholesale
sells the service to ISPs and IPTV
providers, who use it to provide ADSL services to customers over Openreach telephone lines.
The IPstream product covers the transport of data between the end-user's premises and an interconnect point of the ISPs choice, such as their main colocation
facility, which is served by one or more links called BT Centrals. BT has operational control of the network for tasks such as load balancing
. Transit of data to and from the internet, along with other services such as email servers, are the responsibility of the ISP.
IPStream is widely used by ISPs because it is cheaper to set up and costs less in maintenance than the ISP building its own network. This is balanced by the fact that usage costs for ISPs are higher using IPstream than their own network. Datastream
is the similar system where ISPs in the UK use BT equipment but use their own IP transport.
BT Wholesale pays Openreach for access to the local loop
and the exchange. The alternative to IPStream is local loop unbundling
, in which the ISP obtains these facilities from Openreach directly, and makes its own arrangements for onward carriage of the data stream.
Similar services are offered in other countries where there is a single dominant telecommunications provider, such as wholesale DSL from Telstra
in Australia.
Wholesale
Wholesaling, jobbing, or distributing is defined as the sale of goods or merchandise to retailers, to industrial, commercial, institutional, or other professional business users, or to other wholesalers and related subordinated services...
broadband Internet service in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. BT Wholesale
BT Wholesale
BT Wholesale is a division of BT Group responsible for the wholesale leasing of PSTN lines, broadband services and other telephony services to retail customers such as BT Retail, Vodafone and Carphone Warehouse.-External links:*...
sells the service to ISPs and IPTV
IPTV
Internet Protocol television is a system through which television services are delivered using the Internet protocol suite over a packet-switched network such as the Internet, instead of being delivered through traditional terrestrial, satellite signal, and cable television formats.IPTV services...
providers, who use it to provide ADSL services to customers over Openreach telephone lines.
The IPstream product covers the transport of data between the end-user's premises and an interconnect point of the ISPs choice, such as their main colocation
Colocation
Colocation is the act of placing multiple entities within a single location.Colocation is often used in the data sourcing industry to mean off-site data storage, usually in a data center. This is very important for businesses since the loss of data can be crucial for companies of any size...
facility, which is served by one or more links called BT Centrals. BT has operational control of the network for tasks such as load balancing
Load balancing
Load balancing or load distribution may refer to:*Load balancing , balancing a workload amongst multiple computer devices*Load balancing , the storing of excess electrical power by power stations during low demand periods, for release as demand rises*Weight distribution, the apportioning of weight...
. Transit of data to and from the internet, along with other services such as email servers, are the responsibility of the ISP.
IPStream is widely used by ISPs because it is cheaper to set up and costs less in maintenance than the ISP building its own network. This is balanced by the fact that usage costs for ISPs are higher using IPstream than their own network. Datastream
Datastream
Datastream is the name of a type of broadband network connection in the United Kingdom. Datastream is a wholesale product in which the wholesale customer can purchase connectivity between their own point of presence and a number of end users....
is the similar system where ISPs in the UK use BT equipment but use their own IP transport.
BT Wholesale pays Openreach for access to the local loop
Local loop
In telephony, the local loop is the physical link or circuit that connects from the demarcation point of the customer premises to the edge of the carrier or telecommunications service provider's network...
and the exchange. The alternative to IPStream is local loop unbundling
Local loop unbundling
Local loop unbundling is the regulatory process of allowing multiple telecommunications operators to use connections from the telephone exchange to the customer's premises...
, in which the ISP obtains these facilities from Openreach directly, and makes its own arrangements for onward carriage of the data stream.
Similar services are offered in other countries where there is a single dominant telecommunications provider, such as wholesale DSL from Telstra
Telstra
Telstra Corporation Limited is an Australian telecommunications and media company, building and operating telecommunications networks and marketing voice, mobile, internet access and pay television products and services....
in Australia.
See also
- DatastreamDatastreamDatastream is the name of a type of broadband network connection in the United Kingdom. Datastream is a wholesale product in which the wholesale customer can purchase connectivity between their own point of presence and a number of end users....
- Broadband Internet access worldwide
- Local loop unbundlingLocal loop unbundlingLocal loop unbundling is the regulatory process of allowing multiple telecommunications operators to use connections from the telephone exchange to the customer's premises...
(LLU)
External links
- IPstream Terms and conditions from BT