XO Communications Enhances Ethernet Infrastructure to Deliver New Speeds, Extended Reach and Enable Next Generation Service Offerings
Customers Have More Ethernet Options Than Ever to Meet Specific Bandwidth Needs
Last update: 9:01 a.m. EDT Aug. 18, 2008
HERNDON, VA, Aug 18, 2008 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX) -- XO Communications (XOHO: 0.52, +0.02) today announced that it has made significant enhancements to its Ethernet infrastructure in order to offer businesses and wholesale customers new speed options, greater availability of Ethernet services, and next generation Ethernet service offerings. XO is currently capable of delivering Ethernet services to nearly four million commercial buildings in 75 major metropolitan markets across the United States utilizing its nationwide fiber network assets, expanded deployment of Ethernet over copper technology, and fixed broadband wireless capabilities.
XO Communications has deployed a new and enhanced Ethernet switching platform in major metropolitan locations across its nationwide network. This new platform provides a highly reliable, service rich, next generation infrastructure that will enable XO to offer a broader range of Ethernet bandwidth options and services. In addition, this new platform will provide the pathway for XO to provide true any-to-any, multi-site Ethernet solutions along with multiple classes of service on an on-demand basis.
"The recent upgrades we have made to our platform illustrate our dedication to Ethernet and its progression as the preferred networking solution for many of our customers," said Randy Nicklas, chief technology officer at XO Communications. "We continue to invest in our Ethernet infrastructure in order to meet the needs of our customers who are increasingly relying on Ethernet to support mission-critical applications and data across their wide area networks."
New Incremental Ethernet Speeds
XO Communications now offers customers an even wider range of incremental bandwidth options to choose from when creating their custom Ethernet solution. Customers can now obtain new speeds of 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 200, 300, 400, or 500 Mbps at on-net fiber locations, and speeds of 15 or 20 Mbps at locations served by last mile copper where XO has deployed Ethernet over copper technology. These speeds are currently available in Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, San Jose, Seattle, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. XO expects to roll out the speed options to all of its markets across the country early next year.
"Our customers in industries like healthcare, education, government and finance have a wide range of data requirements for their bandwidth-intensive applications," said Nicklas. "Incremental bandwidth options are great for these businesses that need increased scalability for their Ethernet needs."
Expanded Ethernet over Copper Reach
With deployments today in 75 major metropolitan markets, Ethernet over copper technology enables XO Communications to extend its Ethernet services footprint beyond its fiber network and enable businesses at copper-fed locations to take advantage of mid-band Ethernet services for the first time. In addition to the recent Ethernet infrastructure improvements, XO has increased the distance over which it can deliver Ethernet services via last mile copper to business locations that are up to 11,000 feet from central offices in which XO has deployed Ethernet over copper technology. This expansion has increased XO's Ethernet over copper services footprint by 18 percent.
XO Communications has taken a leadership role in expanding the availability of Ethernet services to more locations through its utilization of Ethernet over copper technology and other network access platforms, including:
-- Extensive Nationwide Inter-City and Metro Fiber Networks. XO offers
Ethernet services at speeds from 10 Mbps to 10 Gbps to businesses and
service providers in 75 major metropolitan markets through its 18,000 route
mile inter-city fiber optic network and nearly one million fiber miles of
metro networks.
-- Fixed Broadband Wireless Capabilities. XO currently has the
capability to utilize fixed broadband wireless technology in 36 major
metropolitan markets to further expand its network footprint and deliver
Ethernet services directly to businesses at speeds ranging from 10Mbps to
155Mbps.
Enhanced Ethernet Infrastructure Provides Platform for Next Generation Ethernet Services
The upgrades XO Communications has made on its Ethernet platform have also set the stage for the company to offer exciting new Ethernet service offerings in the near future. These upgrades will provide XO Communications with the ability to offer Classes of Service (CoS) with Ethernet and Ethernet Virtual Private LAN Service (E-VPLS), which it expects to be able to offer customers in 2009. As a layer 2 networking service, E-VPLS will allow businesses to move multipoint to multipoint traffic to support both IP and non-IP network traffic while maintaining the flexibility to control the routing and increased network performance.
"As we continue to strengthen our Ethernet infrastructure, we're preparing to deliver Layer 2 technologies to our customers to meet their evolving business needs," said Nicklas. "We look forward to offering VPLS to provide our customers with another flexible, reliable and cost-effective wide area networking service offering."
For more information about XO Ethernet Services, visit www.xo.com or contact an XO Business Services sales representative at (866) 963-9696 or an XO Carrier Services sales representative at (800) 474-1763.
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