Managed network provider BT Infonet is to roll out an ISP local loop service promising cheap access to the Swift messaging network for financial institutions in 21 developing nations.
The ISP-LL service enables access to Swift's secure IP network by routing messages via a local loop between a local Internet Service Provider and the nearest BT Infonet access point. The service can reduce total Swift connectivity costs by as much as 75 percent versus a private leased line, says the vendor.
With ISP-LL, BT Infonet manages the installation, on-site configuration and maintenance of the equipment and network based firewalls necessary for connectivity.
Pierre Berne, IT department director, Banque Nationale de Credit in Haiti, is one of 20 Swift users who recently took part in a trial of the service. He says: "We previously relied on an international phone line for our connectivity. Not only was this a relatively costly option, it was not always reliable. The ISP local loop option allows us to significantly reduce our telecom costs and has proved more reliable than the cross-border line we used before."
ISP-LL is currently available in Tajikistan, St. Kitts and Nevis, Barbados, Cameroon, Haiti, Mauritius, Surinam, Antigua, Oman UAE, Trinidad, Lebanon, Bahamas, Papua New Guinea, Tahiti, Rwanda, Nigeria, Bangladesh and Morocco.