MegaPath Introduces Speed Test Plus Enabling Enterprises To Measure Broadband Quality

Enhanced Online Application Empowers Businesses to Maximize Connectivity Investments for Next-Generation Voice and Data Communications Solutions

PLEASANTON, Calif. – MegaPath, one of the leading providers of managed data, voice, and security services in North America, today announced the availability of Speed Test Plus, an enhanced online monitoring application that enables users to check the speed and quality of their broadband connections. Building on the popular speed test application MegaPath acquired through its merger with Speakeasy and Covad Communications, Speed Test Plus analyzes line quality characteristics and provides recommendations to improve bandwidth and support essential business communications solutions, such as Voice over IP (VoIP).

“When purchasing business-critical services - such as IP-based voice and data communications - both the speed and quality of service should be essential factors for IT decision makers,” said Beth Tyebjee, Senior Vice President of Marketing, MegaPath. “Speed Test Plus goes beyond testing the connection speed and allows organizations to quickly measure for other factors, like latency and jitter, that can affect the user experience when browsing the Web, making VoIP calls, streaming video, or using any other Web-based applications.”

As organizations leverage bandwidth-demanding applications to run their businesses, MegaPath makes it easy for companies to test whether solutions - such as Hosted Voice - perform well on their existing broadband connection and obtain recommendations to improve bandwidth. The application enables users to explore MegaPath’s offerings as alternatives to their current connectivity investment. Speed Test Plus measures the following characteristics of a company’s broadband connection:

• Download Speed – The amount of information that a computer can receive from the Internet. Organizations should have enough capacity to accommodate their business needs.
• Upload Speed – The capacity of information that a computer can send to the Internet, which is critical for making VoIP calls, sending large files, or hosting websites.
• Packet Loss – Occurs when packets fail to reach their destination and often causes voice calls to sound choppy. For videos, users may notice buffering and delays as packets are re-sent.
• Latency – The time it takes for a data packet to make a round trip between two points. Delays in conversation or periods of silence on voice calls, or websites that load slowly are often caused by latency.
• Jitter – The variation of latency over time across a network. For voice calls, high jitter values can cause voice packets to be delivered out of order, resulting in echoes or talk-over effects.
• Mean Opinion Score (MOS) – The numerical score used to predict the quality of a voice call.

To learn more about Speed Test Plus or to take the test, visit http://www.megapath.com/speedtestplus/ and share the results on Twitter using the hashtag #SpeedTestPlus.

About MegaPath
MegaPath operates one of the largest end-to-end communications networks in the country, providing both commercial and wholesale services. The company provides a full range of data, voice, and security services for small, medium, and enterprise businesses nationwide, as well as wholesale solutions to the carrier and service-provider markets through one of the largest end-to-end networks in the country. MegaPath helps businesses easily and securely communicate between their headquarters, employees, and business partners to lower costs, increase security, and enhance employee productivity. To learn more about MegaPath’s managed IP data, voice, and security services, please visit www.megapath.com.

SOURCE: MegaPath Inc