Level 3 Provides Key Link to Expand Rural Broadband
On Thursday May 28, 2009, 8:00 am EDT
Middle-Mile Networks to Bridge Broadband Gap to Un-Served and Underserved Communities
BROOMFIELD, Colo., May 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Level 3 Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq: LVLT - News) today announced the company is actively working to enable local and regional telecommunications providers to expand rural broadband access under the federal Broadband Technology Opportunities Program.
With more than 42,000 inter-city route miles across North America, the Level 3 network travels through many of the un-served and underserved communities targeted for improved broadband access. In these areas, Level 3 offers extended "on-net" services - services that tap into the Level 3 network at sites outside major metropolitan markets and thereby establish more direct network access to the worldwide Internet.
Extended on-net services enable both wireline and wireless providers to access the Level 3 network. These capabilities serve as a bridge or "middle-mile" network between larger high-speed Internet backbones, such as Level 3's, and local "last-mile" broadband providers, such as cable operators, rural telephone companies and wireless providers. Middle-mile networks provide a key link to allow last-mile broadband providers to deliver Internet connectivity to local consumers and businesses in rural communities that lie beyond the current reach or addressable market for broadband.
"Improving the U.S. broadband addressable market will require more than broadband access infrastructure," said Matt Davis, a Telecom Director at IDC. "Backhauling broadband traffic generated by new subscribers from previously un-served areas will require an expansive network footprint. Level 3's ability to support middle mile connections into rural markets provides an important element that is critical to the overall success of the broadband deployment plan."
The addition of middle-mile networks establishes a competitively neutral platform for future innovation and network growth. As middle-mile networks reach deeper into rural areas, local wireless, cable and phone operators are poised to expand operations by entering new markets and offering a greater range of services to support local governments, hospitals, schools and businesses.
"Level 3 is focused on middle-mile network connections that leverage the expansive reach of our network across the country, particularly in rural areas," said Sureel Choksi, chief marketing officer for Level 3. "Solving the middle-mile problem is equally important as addressing last-mile issues to pave the way for ubiquitous rural broadband availability." |
