WorldCom-itis hits British university network

University internet network Janet is desperately seeking an alternative data carrier having suffered a double telecoms blow: it recently abandoned bankrupt KPNQwest, and opted instead for WorldCom, a decision which looks decidedly dodgy following this week's developments.

Less than three weeks, ago Janet's holding company Ukerna decided to ditch KPNQwest and switched networks to US-based WorldCom, despite the financial woes surrounding the business. WorldCom is facing bankruptcy following the revelation that it had misreported $3.8bn in revenues.

Now that the two largest global data carriers are unable to guarantee bandwidth, Ukerna is looking at its contingency options for Janet's UK and international connection to academic organisations.

Tim Kidd, product services director at Ukerna, said the ISP has so far failed to make any headway on securing an alternative network to WorldCom's within the UK.

He said: "The UK is a bigger problem to solve than the international connection. It's a big network. We have nothing in place at the moment other than WorldCom. I wouldn't like to say when something would be in place."

Paula Vickers, head of computing and communication services at Middlesex University, said: "When Ukerna says it can't move from one provider to another because there is nowhere else to go, we will look at throwing lines out to commercial ISPs. As the sixth largest university in the UK we pay a reasonably steep charge to Janet already.

"We must assume that Ukerna will make the best decision on behalf of the academic community. No university can afford to be cut off from the internet - it's part of our business," Vickers added.

Ukerna's Kidd stood by his decision to move Janet to WorldCom. He told silicon.com: "At the time WorldCom looked OK. WorldCom is taking our traffic load at the moment."

A spokesman for WorldCom said: "To our customers I would say that the organisation of WorldCom found a problem at the corporate level. The business itself is a separate thing. The network is what we live by. We will continue to maintain the network exactly as we have been doing."

Kidd said: "We have peering of adequate capacity in place for Janet's international transit connections. MFN (Metromedia Fiber Network) is one."

MFN applied for reorganisation under a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing on 20 May this year after admitting it over-anticipated demand for its network and overbuilt its network, just as KPNQwest did.