Broadband access vendor Verilink Corp. announced this week that its NetPath 2000 solution is selling through BellSouth Business Sales channels, and is part of the Wireless Data Back-Up offering announced this week by BellSouth and Cingular Wireless.

The NetPath 2000 solution offers business customers protection from wireline service failures, as well as terrestrial diversity for maintenance of mission-critical data applications.

"Businesses today are looking to ensure continuous operations of mission-critical data applications in the event of a wireline network outages and possible service disruptions caused by natural disasters and other unforeseen events," said Sab Gosal, vice president of marketing for Verilink, in a statement. "This wireless data backup service combines Cingular’s high-speed wireless networks with Verilink’s NetPath 2000 access device to deliver continuous broadband, giving business customers a secure, reliable and cost-effective back-up connectivity solution."

Allen Nogee, Principal Analyst with In-Stat, added, "With the continuing advancements in wireless technologies like EDGE and UMTS, wireless access is becoming a compelling service alternative for enterprises and small to mid-size businesses, making it an attractive complement to wireline services. Carriers that offer bundled services give businesses the flexibility and choice in how they build redundancy into their network. Businesses with mission critical applications, such as retail, remote office or mobile point-of-sale, will benefit by having a flexible, cost-effective choice in connectivity services."

The NetPath 2000 has a plug-and-play design, advanced routing features, integrated VPN for added security, and compatibility with EDGE and UMTS standards. It supports applications including backup to frame relay and IP/VPN, as well as primary connectivity for mobile or temporary connectivity needs. The product can be configured and managed via a web-browser interface.