In the wake of the recent CRTC ruling requiring cable operators to resell their high-speed Internet services, many ISPs and resellers are looking for a cheap and easy way to tap into the lucrative demand for high-speed access in the multi-dwelling unit (MDU) market.

This market, which includes high-rise and mid-rise apartment buildings, hotels and dormitories, is huge, with close to one million apartment units alone in buildings across Canada. Most of these buildings are more than 30 years old, making the installation of high-speed cabling a daunting, expensive and disruptive task.

However, Mississauga, Ont.-based Rycom Inc. says it has a way for Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to access this market without all that hassle, using new products from Pleasant Hill, Calif.-based Tut Systems.

Rycom is the exclusive Canadian distributor of Tut's products, including the recently announced Expresso MDU 2000 and the Expresso MDU Lite.

Either unit can sit in the basement or wiring closet of a MDU, connected to an incoming cable Internet feed, and deliver high-speed access to individual units within the building over standard telephone lines without interrupting regular telephone usage. This is done using a higher frequency than voice data does, while sharing the same copper wire.

The MDU Lite comes in both four- and eight-connection outlet models, with a list price of around US$1,600 for the eight connection unit.

The MDU 2000 is rack mounted and scaleable, offering up 136 outlets. Users who wish to connect to the network require a Tut Systems Home Run unit, which lists at around US$175.

But the Expresso units offer more than just the ability to operate over standard phone lines. They also offer ISPs a level of direct control over users that they wouldn't have with traditional connection models.

"ISPs can verify customer status and commission and decommission service without the intervention of the cable companies' technical operations centres. They don't have to rely on the cable company to deliver technical support to the customers," explains Casey Witkowicz, Rycom's president and CEO.

"With the exploding needs for high-speed Internet access among residential and commercial users, the MDU products will enable ISPs to serve these lucrative markets without having to invest in a lot of expensive infrastructure equipment and training."

The market for these types of products seems to be there, at least according to analysts.

"The recent CRTC decision has created a terrific opportunity for ISPs to implement broadband solutions in the commercial and residential MDU sector," says Jordan Worth, a telecommunications analyst with International Data Corp. Canada Ltd. in Toronto. "MDUs are already proving to be a hotly contested market for service providers and the sooner alternative service providers such as ISPs are able to enter this market, the quicker the overall market will expand."

In addition, Rycom is shipping Tut's Expresso MDU Lite Link. The all-in-one wireless ethernet device is designed to link all of the Expresso MDU products together in multi-dwelling properties that lack centralized wiring.

For more information, visit www.rycom.com.

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