According to a VSNL release on Tuesday, the scheme involves connecting over 170 streams of 2 Mbps connectivity (each link carrying equivalent of 30 telephone lines) directly routed from local exchanges to VSNL's remote access servers.

The main features of this setup are a single hunting number; single hop from customer's exchange to the VSNL router; availability of 56K modems; reliable access; no more ringing tones; better throughput and signal to nose ratio; and better call establishment times.

All VSNL's remote access servers now equipped are based on highly advanced digital signalling processing (DSP technology) supporting V90 standards for 56 Kbps access. With the new setup, VSNL is equippedwith hardware and technology to provide 56 K connectivity to the Internet.

This technology also allows VSNL to consolidate all the numbers into a single hunting number throughout Mumbai. The number for access in the city is 4404444. Customers dial this number from their personal computers. The local exchange senses that it belongs to the Internet and routes it to the 2 Mbps stream to VSNL. In case the direct line to VSNL is not available through this exchange, it will be forwarded to the next higher level exchange connected directly.

At present, VSNL has taken 1,712 Mbps lines (5130 dialup ports) from MTNL. The exchanges from which these lines have been installed include Vile Parle, Andheri, Versova, Goregaon, Kandivli, Bandra, Sakinaka, Powai, Thane, Mulund, Fountain, City, Gamdevi, Mandvi, Cuffe Parade, Malabar Hill, Byculla, Mazgaon and Cooperage.

The need for such a connectivity has stemmed from the growing number of subscribers (there are an estimated 37,822 in Mumbai alone) which has led tocontinued growth in dial-up lines for providing access to Internet services. Users, the release states, had to face congestion in accessing Internet network owing to the limitations of inter-exchange network in cities like Delhi and Mumbai. While early initiatives were taken to have CNSNs (local exchanges installed at VSNL premises), it failed to fully meet the requirements of telephone lines.

VSNL is also implementing remote access servers in New Delhi under an accelerated implementation programme to improve the quality and availability of Internet services, the release added. Similar servers are also being installed in Chennai, Calcutta and other nodes.