Customers take cheap option as provider runs out of ISDNs
Cable & Wireless HKT has run out of integrated service digital network (ISDN) lines, leaving some corporate customers with no other option than to seek alternatives.
ISDN is a high-speed data transmission technology that allows the simultaneous transfer of voice, video and data at speeds of up to 128 kilobits per second.
One of HKT's affected customers is City Telecom's (CTI) Internet division, which is a main rival to HKT's Netvigator service.
'It seems a bit suspicious,' said one analyst.
'It doesn't seem to be too convenient to CTI when it is gaining 5,000 subscribers a month, half being from Netvigator users.' CTI claims to be the second-biggest Internet service provider (ISP) with more than 220,000 subscribers, behind market leader HKT's 340,000.
A HKT spokesman said CTI was one of those affected but did not say how many were on the ISDN wait-list.
HKT sent out notices to its commercial customers three to four months ago, warning them that they would soon run out of ISDN capacity.
The remaining lines 'sold out very quickly', the spokesman said.
Until new ISDN capacity could be sourced, HKT would supply a similar and slightly cheaper technology called IDA-M, which CTI is currently using.
IDA-M lines enable digital connectivity, but are more suited towards telephony, while ISDN is better geared towards the Internet, said CTI spokesman Vivian Fok.
'IDA-M lines are a short-term solution,' she said.
CTI was looking at sourcing ISDN lines from alternate providers, but 'the fact they were in [Mongkok] means that HKT is the only choice'.
Fixed-line providers are also able to provide ISDN lines, but their coverage is not as widespread as HKT.
New T&T said it had recently seen more interest in its ISDN services, some from ISPs.
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