General Information
High-speed remote network access services such as Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) and Cable Modems are deployed in the Charlottesville area. ITC has worked with the commercial providers of these services to implement direct network connections between the provider's network and the main UVa network. Without a direct connection to the University network, much of the speed of the of the high-performance connection is lost while data flows through the Internet.
ITC only recommends high-speed network service providers that have implemented a direct high-performance connection to the university network.
High-Speed Network Access Providers with Direct UVANet Connections
- Embarq DSL
Embarq's (formerly Sprint) high-speed Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) service implemented a direct high-performance connection to the University network in the fall of 2000. - nTelos DSL
nTelos implemented a direct high-performance connection to the University network in mid-summer of 2001. NTELOS provides high-speed DSL and normal dial-up service. - Broadband Network Services Inc (BNSI)
BNSI implemented a direct high-performance connection to the University network in late-spring of 2003. BNSI provides DSL, dial-up, and other Internet services in the Charlottesville area.
Other High-Speed Network Access Providers
- Comcast
The major advantage of the Comcast service is that they are able to provide service at most locations while the other local high-speed service providers are only able to provide services in more limited parts of the community.
ITC does not necessarily recommend services from Comcast. They are the only major high-speed provider in the Charlottesville area that has not implemented a direct connection to the University network. Furthermore, Comcast does filter some network ports which causes problems with access to the Home Directory Service. We have received some reports of inconsistent performance but are not sure if this is due to the lack of a direct connection to the University network or from some other cause. The Comcast service is still greatly superior to dial-up modem services and may be a good solution for UVa users.