Watch Telephony's Security Webcast Find out what Verizon Business is doing with managed network security and how service providers can cash in with this new service. Watch Telephony's Webcast today.

CHICAGO--Broadwing and OnFiber Communications have teamed up to offer Ethernet private network services aimed at Fortune 500 companies. The partnership combines Broadwing’s Converged Network, announced on June 1, with OnFiber’s Ethernet local access network for a highly flexible and scaleable data services.

Broadwing is making it possible for enterprises to buy either a Layer 2 or Layer 3 service, depending on their specific needs.

“Some customers want a Layer 2 service, if they have a large IT staff and want to manage their own routing tables and not hand that over to a service provider,” said Jamey Heinze, director of product management. “We have that flexibility, to offer either.”

Broadwing is also offering customizable bandwidth on a per-port basis, rather than on a service profile.

“Customers can buy what they want and change it flexibly,” Heinze said. “Not everyone is satisfied with Gold, Silver, Bronze service. That implies that one is better than another. It’s not about better, it’s about providing the characteristics a specific service needs.”

That kind of flexibility is made possible by the Tellabs' Multiservice PluS platform, with its per-flow queuing, Heinze said. “We are very happy with the Tellabs system,” he said.

OnFocus and Broadwing share a home city--Austin, Texas--and have worked together in the past. “This was a very natural partnership,” Heinze said.

Both companies will be selling the joint products. OnFiber has local access networks in 17 metro areas.

Broadwing is actively courting other partners, looking for regional operators looking to extend their reach and for international companies, Heinze said.