Williams Communications Drives Next Generation of Optical Networking With Testing of OC-192 Optical Wave Service
February 22, 2000 11:17 AM
TULSA, Okla., Feb. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Reinforcing its leadership in optical networking, Williams Communications WCG today announced an aggressive plan to test and implement an OC-192 optical wave service by the fourth quarter of this year.
Williams Communications, a global provider of broadband products and services for carriers, led the industry in first bringing an optical wave service to the telecommunications long-haul marketplace. Williams Optical Wave Service(SM), launched in the third quarter of 1999, allows companies to lease individual OC-48c Dense Wavelengths that provide 2.5 Gbps. The service also provides a transparent interface with carrier customers' networks, which allows customers to complete SONET rings, among other things.
The company is now testing the OC-192 equipment of multiple vendors in its state-of-the-art network development lab. It expects to complete the trials by the end of the second quarter.
"Williams Communications continues its rich history of innovation and leadership by driving industry standards for advanced optical networking," said Gordon Martin, president of carrier services for the Williams Communications network. "Our ability to develop, test and launch optical services to meet customer demands is unmatched in the industry."
As routers and other edge equipment have become faster, the demand for higher-speed optical services has grown. Williams has seen increased demand for an OC-192 optical wave service among new-generation telecommunications companies such as application service providers and Internet service providers.
"Our OC-192 offering will allow carriers to rapidly and cost-effectively achieve large-capacity networks without having to manage or deploy their own fiber," Martin said. "Like our original OC-48 wave service, the key advantages of an OC-192 optical wave service are faster time to market and increased flexibility."
"We are staying ahead of customer demand, making sure that when carriers are ready to move to the next level, Dense Wave OC-192s, Williams Communications is there to meet their needs."
Williams Communications is building a 33,000-mile network connecting 125 cities. Construction is expected to be complete by the end of 2000, a full year ahead of schedule. The Williams network currently has 26,000 route miles of fiber deployed and 24,000 route miles lit. The fully integrated architecture of the Williams Multi-Service Broadband Network(TM) couples ATM core switching with advanced optical networking technologies to provide carriers with data, voice, video and Internet services. Williams Communications has earned widespread industry recognition for its network architecture and services -- most recently the International Engineering Consortium's InfoVision award
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