Verizon Adds Mobile Broadband Backup to Dedicated SMB Internet Service

Verizon (News - Alert) has made 3G broadband backup available as a backup Internet path for dedicated Internet services used by small to medium services. In the event of a service interruption on a dedicated business circuit, such as DSL or T1, Internet traffic “falls over” automatically falls over to Verizon’s 3G EVDO wireless network.

 

Available immediately nationwide, the solution is “ideal” for customers who with highly distributed locations who primarily use dedicated internet access for outbound critical traffic, web research, or point-of-sale transactions, says Verizon.

 

Verizon provides 3G broadband backup as a turn-key service, including setting up the network diversity paths, customer premise equipment, and a managed installation process – a good idea if you’re talking about providing network backup in a seamless fashion for relatively critical applications.

 

From a network perspective, the solution includes a pair of linked ADTRAN (News - Alert) NetVanta 3200 routers, one connected to the primary, typically T1, access source and the other with a 3G wireless module designed to communicate with Verizon Wireless’s network. The dual-unit approach allows the 3G-using router to go wherever cellular coverage is strongest. If the primary circuit goes down, traffic gets routed to the wireless link.

 

Truth be told, the pieces for this solution have been floating around for a while and no doubt been tested in numerous ways by both ADTRAN and Verizon. ADTRAN introduced a 3G wireless solution for the NetVanta 3200 router back in December 2008 and field tested it with one of the local banks near its Huntsville, Alabama headquarters as a primary network connectivity scheme for remote ATMs that couldn’t get an affordable DSL circuit.

 

While a Verizon spokesperson wouldn’t comment on the potentially availability of dropping in an LTE (News - Alert) module down the road, he did say both his side and the Verizon Wireless team were meeting on a “weekly basis” to put together and roll out the product offering – another interesting comment.

 

Up until a few years ago, Verizon operated in a relatively “stovepipe” fashion, with each of its three major operating units – the landline/consumer/SMB guys, Verizon Wireless, and Verizon Business (News - Alert) – doing its own thing and not coloring outside of its primary responsibilities.

 

Senior Verizon executives, such as Chief Marketing Officer Nancy Gofis, have been preaching the virtues of cross-pollination between business units to get more services that customers want out on the street faster.  While putting together this 3G solution may not have broken any speed records this time around, future enhancements such as an LTE option may occur a lot quicker in the future.