Syrinx launches low-cost Internet service

In a bid to reduce Internet access costs for large companies, Syrinx Communications International, Saab Grintek's service provider arm, recently launched its own low-cost international Internet service.

The service, to be known as International Premium Internet, is targeted at middle to large companies requiring guaranteed unshared international Internet bandwidth. Syrinx provides the Internet service with the telecommunication operator's leased line charges included.

"A minimal or non-guaranteed international Internet link portion gives users a slow Internet experience," says Lux Maharaj, MD of Syrinx. "This is worse when the link is shared by the ISP with its other customers."

The Syrinx premium service provides a guaranteed throughput with no sharing among other Syrinx customers.

"Certain ISPs also perform caching and data compression," says Maharaj. "Caching allows the ISP to have local storage of foreign content. This minimises the use of the ISP's international Internet capacity. With compression, more data is sent through the same pipe - but with a higher delay."

Syrinx leaves the caching requirement to the customer to implement for their own specific requirements. In addition, with the advent of voice over Internet Protocol and video conferencing over Internet Protocol, compression adds little or no benefit, as these data packets are already in a compressed format.

Syrinx delivers its services anywhere in South Africa where leased line access is available, irrespective of the distance or location of the site from the telecommunications exchange.

With its monthly low-cost service charge, Syrinx is expecting companies to see bottom-line savings as well a significant improvement in their Internet experience.