Williams Communications Extends Pacific Network Reach Into Major Financial Markets; Williams' Asia-Pacific Cable Stake Major Milestone in Execution Of Its Local-to-Global Network
PR Newswire - May 03, 2000 07:47
TULSA, Okla., May 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Williams Communications (NYSE: WCG), the leading provider of telecommunications services for the carrier marketplace, has taken another major step in implementing its local-to-global network strategy by extending its international reach as one of the largest stakeholders in the new $1.06 billion Asia-Pacific Cable Network (APCN-2.).
A consortium of carriers is building APCN-2, an intra-Asia 19,000- kilometer submarine cable project that will connect China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Taiwan. As an initial party investor in the network build, Williams acquires significant capacity on APCN-2 which is scheduled to be in operation by September 2001.
The APCN-2 will intersect with other trans-Pacific cables between China, Japan and the U.S. in which Williams already has an ownership stake. In mid- April, Williams Communications agreed to buy SBC Communications' interests in two undersea cables between the U.S. and China and the U.S. and Japan. This will provide Williams with seamless connectivity to and from major Asia- Pacific markets and its domestic network, the largest next-generation network in the United States.
"The capacity obtained on APCN-2 is another major milestone in Williams' execution of a true local-to-global network that provides the access and reliable bandwidth delivery our carrier customers require to successfully compete on a worldwide basis," said Howard E. Janzen, president and chief executive officer of Williams Communications.
By leveraging its domestic backbone assets, Williams has rapidly forged agreements that have provided the company with a significant international network footprint.
In addition to linking its domestic network to Asia through the U.S./Japan and U.S./China cables and now directly into additional Asia-Pacific markets through APCN-2, Williams has acquired direct access to major pan-European markets via the TAT-14 undersea cable through previously announced agreements.
Concurrent with extending its international network connectivity, Williams has undertaken a major local build-out into 50 markets in the United States. The extension of Williams Communications' backbone to high-density buildings, carrier hotels and selected central offices in metropolitan markets will shorten service delivery intervals by eliminating bottlenecks caused by limited availability of high-capacity local loops.
"Williams is aggressively executing on its plan to be a single source provider for the efficient delivery of end-to-end network services on a global scale," said Janzen.
Williams Communications' award-winning U.S. network currently has more than 24,000 route miles in operation with a planned total of 33,000 route miles connecting 125 cities by the end of this year. Williams typically installs ninety-six to 144 fibers in every network build with multiple conduits, leaving spare conduits open to meet future needs. 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. |
