UPC steps into the SME market
23-11-2007
by ElectricNews.Net

UPC Business has made its move into the SME market with a broadband and telephony bundled product offering speeds of up to 6MB.

The bundled product, which is aimed at 56,000 SME businesses, features broadband speeds ranging from 2MB to 6MB; upload speeds of 512k; telephony services; and other so-called value-added services such as static IP support, hosted storage and secured e-mail. Sarah Shearman, channel manager of UPC Business, revealed to ENN that it is planning to upgrade speeds to 10MB in 2008.

UPC Business (formerly NTL Business) is claiming SME customers can expect to save over EUR1,200 per annum, when compared to Eircom's SME business product. The new 6MB SME bundle costs EUR69, while bundles with speeds of 2MB and 3MB are available at EUR49 and EUR59 (excluding VAT), respectively.

"The take-up so far has been great. We have been trialling it for about three to four months and the customers are more than happy with the speed. It more than meets their needs. We are also providing static IP address which is more than standard," said Shearman.

The new SME products will initially be available to 56,000 SMEs UPC has identified in Dublin, Galway and Waterford. During the first quarter of 2008, the company will extend its SME offering to firms in Limerick, Cork, Kildare, Athlone, Portlaoise, Carlow and Kilkenny.

Shearman explained how the company plans to support its new SME customers. "We are the third largest... telecoms provider in Ireland for enterprise-type businesses, for data and voice services. That is traditionally what we have done. It is actually that team that is already in place that will be supporting this product as well. We are really pushing the support side."

Shearman cited the ability of the company's support desk to dial into customers' routers and modem and fix problems directly as a key benefit of having a static IP address. She also explained to ENN that employees of businesses with this product will be able to dial in to their company's virtual private networks from their own home.

UPC has spent the past 18 months laying the foundations for its next generation networks, and has an investment sum of over EUR300 million to achieve its targets. "We are halfway through that investment network programme. That was our commitment to one, our customers and two, the market place," she explained.

By Bryan Collins