AT&T has expanded its Ethernet service portfolio with the rollout of a global virtual private local area network service (VPLS) and expanded midband Ethernet connection speeds — including speeds below 10 Mbps — delivered over copper.
AT&T’s VPLS service, called “OPT-E-WAN”, will enable businesses to link multiple locations using Ethernet interfaces. The service is expected to be available beginning this summer. 
Throughout 2008, AT&T plans to make these services available in the U.S. and in 14 overseas locations — Frankfurt, London, Brussels, Paris, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Dublin/Cork, Milan, Madrid and Zurich in Europe; and Hong Kong, Sydney, Singapore, Tokyo in the Asia/Pacific region.
At the same time, AT&T is adding new connection speeds of 2 Mbps, 4 Mbps, and 8 Mbps to its “OPT-E-MAN” switched metro Ethernet service that uses AT&T’s MPLS network backbone to transport voice, data and video applications to multiple locations. The new speeds will be available in AT&T’s 13-state legacy footprint, and will be supported by AT&T’s service level agreements offered with OPT-E-MAN service. AT&T already offers 2 Mbps, 4 Mbps, and 8 Mbps Metro Ethernet speeds in the nine-state Southeast footprint. AT&T said these lower speeds will help businesses connect to Ethernet services over fiber facilities or over copper facilities, eliminating the need for businesses to invest in expensive fiber build outs when copper facilities are readily available.http://www.att.com
