Ipstream

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IPstream is a broadband Internet service offered by BT in the United Kingdom. It is a wholesale service. To the end customer, an IPstream connection means BT have sold bandwidth to a provider that in turn resells it to the consumer over the BT network. In this case, the ISP acts as an intermediary only - reselling bandwidth owned by BT to consumers over a BT telephone network.

BT resells their IPStream services through its company, BT OpenReach. Openreach own the IPStream network and the exchanges that the IPStream hardware is stored in. The alternative to IPStream is an LLU setup which is also partially managed by openreach as it involves installing a companies own switches in the exchange and openreach work to create space and manage migrations between llu providers and ipstream.

The IPstream network consist of a 155 Mbit network service controlled by BT which is then transmitted to the end user using a DSL connection. BT has operational control of the network for tasks such as load balancing. It is widely used by ISPs because it is cheaper to set up and costs less in maintenance than the ISP building its own network. This is balanced by the fact that usage costs for ISPs are higher using IPstream than their own network. Datastream is the similar system where ISPs in the UK use BT equipment but use their own IP transport.

Similar services are offered in other countries where there is a single dominant telecommunications provider, such as wholesale DSL from Telstra in Australia.