"dark fiber" --- can someone (1) identify this term and (2) give its significance in the buildout of new state-of-the-art telecom networks.
see below for a "dark fiber" rollout by IXC Communications.
IXC Communications Announces Major Fiber Exchange Agreement Extending
its Network into Boston
AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 23, 1998--IXC Communications, Inc.
(NASDAQ:IIXC - news) today announced a major fiber swap with a leading
interexchange carrier enabling both companies to extend their networks.
According to the terms of the agreement, IXC will acquire approximately
280 miles of dark fiber between New York and Boston, in exchange for
dark fiber on a 270-mile segment between Houston, Dallas and Ft. Worth.
Both routes are currently under construction and are expected to be
available in the third quarter of 1998.
''Extending our fiber network from New York into the Boston market is
very important to IXC due to the high concentration of traffic in the
northeast corridor,'' said Ben Scott, IXC's president and CEO. ''This
exchange is another example of the cost sharing arrangements that IXC
has completed in the planned expansion of its nationwide network to over
20,000 digital route miles. By leveraging our infrastructure, fiber
swaps enable us to achieve greater effectiveness and economies in
connectivity.''
The fiber optics being deployed in all stages of IXC's network
development utilize state-of-the-art LS non-zero dispersion shifted
fiber. IXC's fiber optic network supports the most advanced technology,
including wave division multiplexing, which allows significant increases
in the speed and volume of information carried across the network. The
OC-192 equipped network also supports a full range of advanced
communications technologies, such as synchronous optical network
technology (SONET), as well as ATM and frame relay technologies for
advanced data services.
Engineered to exceed 99.98 percent availability, the IXC network is
monitored by one of the most modern computerized systems in the
industry. The IXC network control center in Austin provides 24-hour,
7-day continuous self-diagnosis and early warning to detect and correct
potential trouble before transmission integrity is affected. IXC has
also developed a full range of innovative voice, Internet and data
network services.
IXC's network-based delivery solutions are designed to address the speed
and capacity requirements of the global communications market. Having
recently completed the U.S.'s first new coast-to-coast fiber optic
network in a decade, IXC Communications, Inc. is at the forefront of the
industry's new class of emerging carriers. IXC's offerings include
private line, broadband, Internet and long distance switched and
dedicated services. IXC is a publicly traded company listed on Nasdaq
under the symbol IIXC. IXC's Web site is located at www.ixc-comm.com.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact:
IXC Communications Inc., Austin
James F. Guthrie, 512/427-3731 (investor contact)
jguthrie@ixc-comm.com
or
Melissa Jackson, 512/231-5247 (media contact) |
