FAQs
Below you will find the answers to some frequently asked questions regarding Sprint Network Consolidation.

Business Advantages
Product

Business Advantages

Beyond technology, how does Sprint Network Consolidation help businesses?

Sprint Network Consolidation changes how businesses operate through multimedia applications that link employees, internal processes, customers and external partners, allowing businesses to be more efficient and productive.

• Leverage lower communications costs to boost your bottom line.
• Enable higher utilization to gain greater network efficiencies and performance.
• Redefine business productivity by encouraging a whole new generation of business-enabling applications.

What efficiencies are gained by moving from a private line network to Sprint Network Consolidation?

Sprint Network Consolidation using Sprint ATM or Frame Relay is a telecommunications offering that collapses voice, data, and video services onto a single-access facility and carries this traffic across a single network. Today's private line transport requires discrete networks and discrete access to handle the unique requirements of voice, data, and video. It is easy to envision gains in efficiency and reliability in supporting a single network vs. many networks with unique equipment and technologies.

What are the benefits of the Sprint Network Consolidation integrated services hub?

The integrated services hub provides the many benefits to your business including:

• Provides future-proof communications by having Sprint bear the capital risk of controlling the hub and, at the same time, avoid costs associated with required upgrades.
• Reduces operating expenses by outsourcing integrated services hub, access, and wide area network (WAN) management to Sprint.
• Reduces access costs by allowing your business to aggregate communications services - voice, data, and video into a single dedicated-access facility.
• Saves capital for other expenditures in a business because the integrated services hub is recorded as an operating expense.

What are some examples of multimedia applications that Sprint Network Consolidation supports?

Please see Applications for examples of:

• Collaborative Engineering
• Distance Learning
• Multimedia Applications
• Other Business Applications
• Related ATM and Frame Relay Applications

What are some of the benefits of choosing ATM with Sprint Network Consolidation?

Some of the advantages of Sprint Network Consolidation with ATM transport are:

• You can combine resources on a single network for improved utilization of bandwidth with all applications on the same platform.
• ATM is standards-based therefore it is compatible and interoperable with currently deployed networks.
• ATM quality of service (QoS) allows the network to be tailored to the application, rather than forcing applications to fit the network.
• By design, ATM provides a graceful migration path that allows companies to integrate ATM into portions of their network infrastructure as applications and business requirements demand - no need for a total network flash cut.

For more information, see ATM Business Advantages.

What are some of the benefits of choosing frame relay with Sprint Network Consolidation?

Some of the advantages of Sprint Network Consolidation with frame relay transport are:

• Frame relay supports many different protocols over the same lines - for example, IBM SNA, TCP/IP and IPX as well as many others.
• Frame relay is flexible. Typically, only software changes are required to add permanent virtual circuits (PVCs), migrate to higher speeds or make other configuration changes.
• Frame relay is a highly efficient network transport technology especially when compared to private lines. Frame relay supports traffic to many destinations on a single access line which reduces CPE and lines costs.
• Frame relay allows users to burst beyond their committed information rate (CIR).

For more information, see Frame Relay Business Advantages.

What are the business advantages of Dedicated IP with Sprint Network Consolidation?

With Sprint Dedicated IP Services, your business is able to economically connect to the Internet resources around the world and take advantage of e-commerce applications and information resources.

• Provides quicker access to files, applications, e-mail, databases and people, no matter where they are located.
• Ensures dependable connectivity for employees and customers.
• Connect to the World Wide Web to market products, send and receive e-mail, conduct research and communicate with your customers and employees.

For more information, see Internet Services.

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Product

In basic terms, what is the integrated services hub?

A key component of Sprint Network Consolidation is to provide an integrated services hub on your business?s premises. The integrated services hub acts as the gateway into the Sprint network. It integrates voice, data and video communications services over a single access pipe for greater efficiencies in network connectivity.

With Sprint Network Consolidation, Sprint invests in extending its network structure right to your premises. Sprint owns and provides the integrated services hub. Sprint also installs, configures, maintains, upgrades, monitors and manages the hub 24 hours per day, seven days per week and 365 days per year.

How is the Sprint Network Consolidation integrated services hub an extension of Sprint's network?

The integrated services hub is considered both Sprint network equipment and customer premises equipment (CPE). It is CPE from the perspective the integrated services hub resides on the customer premises and is installed by a CPE technician. The integrated services hub is Sprint network equipment from the perspective it is owned, installed, configured and managed by Sprint.

What are the types of integrated services hubs that Sprint offers?

Customer requirements will dictate which integrated services hub will be used. Each integrated services hub provides multiservice access concentration for frame relay or ATM. Sprint Network Consolidation offers several models of integrated services hubs:

Cisco Systems models

• Cisco 1720 - One port and two slots for small branch offices
• Cisco 2600 - NxT1, one to three ports for small to medium businesses
• Cisco 3600 - NxT1, multiple (more than three) ports for medium businesses
• Cisco 3810 - T1 port for small branch offices

Nortel models

• Nortel Passport 6420 - three slots for small branch offices
• Nortel Passport 6440 - five slots for medium size locations
• Nortel Passport 6480 - 16 slots for large corporate locations

Is digital subscriber line (DSL) used with Sprint Network Consolidation as it is with Sprint ION?

Sprint Network Consolidation will use standard ATM and frame relay dedicated access (i.e. T1) to access the Sprint ATM or Frame Relay network. As Sprint LTD implements DSL, we will look at DSL as an alternative access method to ATM and frame relay.

How is Sprint Network Consolidation different than ATM or frame relay?

Sprint Network Consolidation uses ATM or frame relay as a data transport along with a bundled offering of integrated services hub, Managed Network Services (MNS), maintenance and optional dedicated IP.

Where is Sprint Network Consolidation available?

Sprint Network Consolidation is available in Sprint local franchise areas where Sprint ATM or Frame Relay service is available.

What ATM categories of service are available with Sprint Network Consolidation?

The category of service options, as defined by the ATM Forum and offered by Sprint include:

• Unspecified Bit Rate (UBR)
• Variable Bit Rate - non-real time (VBR-nrt)
• Constant Bit Rate (CBR)

See ATM Product Details for more information on the ATM categories of service.

What Sprint Frame Relay service prioritization categories are available with Sprint Network Consolidation?

Sprint offers three priorities of service for frame relay:

• Sprint Frame Relay for systems network architecture (SNA)
• Sprint Frame Relay for local area network (LAN)
• Sprint Frame Relay for Voice.

See Frame Relay Product Details for more information on the Frame Relay service offerings.

What are the Dedicated IP Services value-added options available with Sprint Network Consolidation?

You may receive the following value-added services when you choose the optional Sprint Dedicated IP Services with Sprint Network Consolidation.

• Variable access speeds
• High network performance
• Consulting
• Customer support
• Domain name service - primary and secondary
• E-mail
• Web hosting
• Network newsfeed
• IP security services

For more information, see Internet Services.

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