GigaOM

Mushroom Networks has launched a box that essentially bundles up to six different types of broadband lines together for upload speeds of up to 65Mbps. For smaller carriers — businesses strapped for broadband in rural areas that may never get fiber — Mushroom’s Truffle appliance, which can sit at the customer site or in a central office, could be their key to speed.

The downstream speed is limited by the combined speed of the T1, cable or DSL lines bundled together, and the upstream speed is limited to the fastest single pipe. Several carriers are testing the appliance, according to Cahit Akin, CEO and co-founder of Mushroom.