The products have been launched to complement the wider migration of all Bacs customers to the IP based delivery channel, which is required by December 2005.

Fixed Extranet Connect is aimed at firms with requirements for high volume or value transmission. Bacs proactively manages the whole submission chain with a service level agreement of 99.99% up-time, around the clock on-site support and four hour fault response. Bacs says the product is a "made to measure" connection system that can fit with each organisation's Bacstel-IP migration timetable.

DSL Connect is designed for organisations that want the benefits of a faster, cost effective, managed connection for Bacs submissions. Bacs says the system is at least four times faster than ISDN.

Bacs customers can also choose to migrate to Bacstel-IP using dial-up extranet or via the Web. Bacs says it will also facilitate a special, entry level, Business Broadband offer through BT Openworld.

Ben Burgess, general manager, BT Global Financial Markets, says the new products and services will "provide Bacs with a robust and secure IP platform to enable customers to gain greater efficiencies from automated payments. It will also be scalable providing a future proof platform for growth and the ability to provide additional service offerings".

Marion King, CEO, Bacs, adds: "As growing numbers of customers add supplier and expense payments to the traditional salary settlement through Direct Credit so the number of companies needing this kind of product will continue to grow."