more marconi news...this company is going to be huge:
;
;
;
;
; Wednesday December 15, 4:00 pm Eastern Time
Company Press Release
BellSouth to Deploy Innovative New Fiber Technology for Delivering Advanced Broadband Services to the Home
Exclusive Agreement with Marconi Communications Enhances Commitment to High-Speed, Fiber-Based Network Facilities
ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 15, 1999-- BellSouth today announced an agreement with Marconi plc, to deploy Marconi's advanced optical fiber interface equipment to deliver ATM (asynchronous transfer mode) based broadband services throughout its nine-state region. The equipment will be deployed in new housing developments and to enhance existing fiber-to-the-curb (FTTC) systems, enabling them to provide high-speed Internet access and entertainment services.
Under terms of the agreement, BellSouth will deploy Marconi's next-generation, ''deep fiber'' technology into its fiber optic distribution network. The Marconi equipment will allow the delivery of ATM-based broadband services to within 500 feet of the customer. ATM technology is a packet-switched technology using ATM switches and fiber optics to simultaneously transport voice, data, imaging and video data. According to Marconi, this deployment represents the largest commitment to date from a U.S. carrier to drive high-speed, fiber optic-based technology deep into its network.
''BellSouth has been in the forefront of fiber optic distribution since its decision in 1995 to deploy fiber to the curb technology as first choice in residential new construction,'' said Mike Parton, Marconi Communications chief executive officer. ''There is no question that with this deployment, by the end of 2000, BellSouth will have the largest installed base in North America of broadband network equipment delivering voice, video and high-speed Internet connectivity deep into its network.''
''This agreement with Marconi builds on our mutual success deploying integrated fiber during 1999 and will accelerate delivery of fiber optic-based services, including high-speed Internet access and entertainment services, to our customers,'' said Dr. David Kettler, BellSouth Vice President - Science and Technology. ''Not only will this new equipment allow us to meet our customers' demand for today's latest technology, it's another step in building an infrastructure that will accommodate future demands that haven't yet been formulated.''
Fiber has been BellSouth's technology of choice for serving new housing developments since 1995. Currently, 95 percent of BellSouth customers in the company's top 30 markets and 85 percent of all customers are within 12,000 feet of fiber.
Nearly 500,000 homes are now served by BellSouth fiber-to-the-curb systems. Of these, some 200,000 will have access to high-speed Internet and entertainment services provided by an integrated fiber in the loop architecture, which BellSouth began deploying in Atlanta and South Florida during 1999. Integrated fiber enables BellSouth to deliver ADSL (asymmetrical digital subscriber line) with Internet access speeds up to 1.5 Mbps (Megabits per second), 30 times faster than today's fastest dial-up modems. Integrated fiber also enables BellSouth to deliver 70 channels of analog TV and 160 channels of digital entertainment in Atlanta and South Florida.
BellSouth also markets wireless entertainment and cable TV services in Atlanta, Birmingham, Charleston, Daytona, Jacksonville, New Orleans and Orlando. Programming is provided by americast®, a BellSouth partnership with Ameritech, GTE, Southern New England Telephone and the Walt Disney Company.
Marconi plc is one of the world's fastest growing communications and IT companies with a strong record of innovation and technological breakthroughs. It is a world leader in smart broadband optical networks and it supplies the key technologies for the New Public Network and the Internet. With 45,000 employees worldwide and sales in over 100 countries, it is headquartered in London and listed in the FTSE index.
BellSouth (NYSE: BLS - news) is a $25 billion communications services company. It provides telecommunications, wireless communications, cable and digital TV, directory advertising and publishing, and Internet and data services to nearly 36 million customers in 20 countries worldwide. In the U. S., BellSouth provides telecommunications services in nine Southeastern states, including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. With its headquarters in Atlanta, BellSouth serves more than 24 million local telephone lines and provides local exchange and intraLATA long distance service over one of the most modern telecommunications networks in the world. |
