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Network-Based VPN Services: Page 9 of 12

To route traffic efficiently, MCI interconnects nodes by discrete paths. Because traffic follows completely separate routes along different fiber paths, regions of the network can't easily be separated by a fiber cut. With MCI's extensive fiber runs, traffic can be rerouted to an area away from the cut trunk.

MCI guarantees three nines end-to-end availability for VPN customers with 10 or more sites, but only 99.8 percent uptime for customers with three to nine sites. MCI explained, quite obscurely, that it offers higher availability metrics for the larger networks because more sites mean more total hours per month, and therefore the vendor has a greater confidence that average network uptime (availability) will increase.

Latency is a bit on the high side, with 120 ms or less for all sites within the United States. And MCI requires customers to request a credit if one is due.

Reporting is handled through MCI's VIPeR (VPN Interactive Performance Reporting) interface. VIPeR provides reports on the VPN itself, along with individual tunnel utilization. Availability and latency reports can also be generated.

Burstable services offer a bit of extra bandwidth for short periods, or even a few days, assuming you're provisioned for less than the actual line service. Permanent changes to bandwidth can be handled within a few days, as long as the capacity is available on the local loop.