ISP Profile: Broadwing —continued

Broadwing's Parts
You almost need a map to find your way through the many services and divisions at Broadwing. In a nutshell, the company has four divisions: broadband, local communications, wireless, and other communications.

Broadband
Broadwing Communications, Inc. is former IXC, providing backbone network services and support. The network uses the Gemini 2000 network architecture scheme. The network is the culmination of a joint Cisco-IXC project using Cisco's 12000 GSR to bump network capacity to OC-48, and lets IP, ATM, and TDM traffic run consecutively.

Broadwing Communications offers IP VPN services, called eClass service, over its Gemini 2000 network. The service is the result of 18 months of research and development in conjunction with Nortel Networks (CC:NN) and Cisco (NYSE: CSCO). Broadwing is completing beta trials of eClass, which integrates data, internet, video and on-net voice into a single IP network design platform.

On May 1, Broadwing opened six, 500,000 sq. ft. Cisco-powered data centers/colocation facilities around the country. The alliance lets each sales recommend the other when customers look for either rack space or network equipment.

Wireless
The wireless segment is a joint venture with AT&T Wireless PCS, Inc. AT&T owns 80 percent and Cinncinati Bell Wireless LLC owns the other 20 percent.

Local Communications
Cincinnati Bell Telephone handles all the telco operations in the Cincinnati area with local and long-distance support, including Internet service. ISP services are provided by Cincinnati Bell through Fuse. Fuse offers unlimited dialup service for $19.95/month with five email accounts and a free two-hour training class on the Internet.

Other Communications
The catch-all for Broadwing Inc. is their Other Communications segment, which consists of Cincinnati Bell Directory, Cincinnati Bell Long Distance (called Any Distance) and ZoomTown.com. CBD provides the Yellow Pages for the Cincinnati area, while CBAD resells voice services, primarily long distance, to small-to-medium sized business customers. ZoomTown.com calls itself a Transactive Services Applications Provider, giving customers net conferencing, video-support, customer support, and next-generation searches, as well as other services.

More than the Sum of its Parts
There is a lot of cross-promotion among different divisions of Broadwing. For instance, if an expanding business in the Cincinnati area calls its telco sales rep and requests an e-commerce solution, they are put in touch with ZoomTown.com.

Broadwing has postioned itself to offer everything a business needs to succeed on the Internet. Whether they can match their broad ambitions depends on everything from the day-to-day details of customer service to the grand strategy involved in continuing their wireless and fiber buildout. Who knows where they'll be next year? Stay tuned.

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