XYZed today launched its wholesale Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) service, bringing real and effective competition to the market for broadband services.

The company, a subsidiary of Cable & Wireless Optus, will compete directly with Telstra in the $1.5bn market for high-speed access, and is the first competitor to build a dedicated national DSL network. High-speed access allows business customers to combine their data, video, Internet and voice needs more efficiently and cost effectively.

The company launches with a presence in 50 exchanges nationally and will continue to roll out its network targeting more than 100 exchanges where corporate and large enterprise businesses are located.

Stephen Beynon, Managing Director of Cable & Wireless Optus' Data and Business Services division said: "Through XYZed, Cable & Wireless Optus has once again shown that we are the industry's champion of competition. We have been quick to take advantage of the unbundling of the local loop and to bring high-speed access options to businesses."

"Our DSL capabilities will allow us to expand our access strategy - to provide more cost effective services to our customers and to grow new markets for high-speed access in the future. We are delivering on our commitment to not only reach more business customers, but to do so profitably."

XYZed will offer competitively priced, high-speed, business quality DSL access to approximately 75 per cent of Australian businesses.

The company will compete for business against alternative high-speed services such as DDS and ISDN. XYZed will also extend the market for broadband services by targeting businesses that do not have access to optical fibre, or find the costs associated with current products too high.

According to XYZed Managing Director Mr Stephe Wilks, large-scale organisations are hungry for high-speed broadband access and for too long have been starved for choice of services.

"XYZed believes the future is about access to broadband services. We want to help businesses capture that future, and take advantage of the power of guaranteed high-speed, lower cost access," he said.

"XYZed's DSL service is the ultimate high-speed access service for business. It offers scalability, security, and bandwidth and service availability assurances. It is also substantially more cost effective than current market offerings," he said.

"The US experience shows DSL will be the largest competitor for broadband services in the business market, surpassing both satellite and broadband wireless access," said Mr Wilks.

XYZed's high-speed access service is marketed through wholesale agreements with communications businesses including Cable & Wireless Optus.

For further information:
Stephen Woodhill
Cable & Wireless Optus
Tel: 02 9342 7850

About XYZed
XYZed is a wholly owned subsidiary of Cable & Wireless Optus, operating independently to offer high quality, cost-effective, wholesale DSL services to communications businesses. DSL technology makes it possible to deliver high-speed data over existing copper phone lines. The company intends to provide DSL at more than 100 telephone exchanges nationwide, placing its services within reach of more than 75 per cent of businesses.

For more information: www.xyzed.com.au