Sculpting the light. Whose hands are shaping today's fiber networks?
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americasnetwork.com
August 15, 1998
By Annie Lindstrom
Trying to get a handle on the
plethora of companies that are building
or buying nationwide or large regional
fiber optic networks is a lot like trying to
grab hold of several greased pigs
simultanously. Although lunging after
slippery swine is not a politically correct
thing to do, it would be good exercise
and probably a wonderful distraction for
anyone attempting to digest the
tremendous number of announcements
these companies have made of late
regarding the miles upon miles of fiber
they have deployed or plan to deploy,
or the extra conduits they have buried,
which will someday hold fiber optic
cable.
Get the details
Vital fiber provider statistics
and information:
Nextlink Communications Inc.
Williams Network
Frontier Corp.
IXC
Level 3 Communications Inc.
Qwest International
Communications Inc.
If you laid them end-to-end, the dizzying amount of press releases these
announcements have spawned would probably stretch as far as the combined
route miles of fiber these carriers plan to deploy in the next three years.
If you don't know the difference between major newcomers to the nationwide
fiber optic network game such as Nextlink Communications Inc., Williams
Network, Frontier Corp., IXC, Level 3 Communications Inc., Qwest
International Communications Inc., never fear. In this first of a two-part series,
AN ferrets out the facts: who these carriers are, what they want and how they
aim to get it. We will profile what what makes them similar and different from
one another. We interviewed high-ranking officers at 11 companies that are
burying, swapping, purchasing the rights to or leasing large amounts of fiber to
provide retail or wholesale services on a nationwide or large regional basis to
other carriers, businesses or consumers, or all of the above.
We will conclude our two-part series in Sept. 1, with information on large
regional carriers, some of whom are expanding nationwide, including Advanced
Communications Group Inc., Electric Lightwave Inc., GST
Telecommunications, Intermedia Communications Inc., and Metromedia Fiber
Network Inc.
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americasnetwork.com
WILLIAMS NETWORK
Headquarters: Tulsa, Okla.
Company age: 8 months
Retail or wholesale: Wholesale
Fiber deployed: 12,800 route miles (11,000 on two fibers retained on WilTel
network, which was sold to WorldCom, and 1,800 route miles on new
network between Houston/Washington; Los Angeles/New York; and
Phoenix/Chicago). By year-end, 18,000 route miles will have been deployed;
22,000 route miles by the end of 1999.
Network size when completed: 32,000 route miles by year-end 2001
Investment in network to date: $700 million when completed: $3 billion
1997 revenues: $1.4 billion for parent company, Williams Communications
Global plans: Have indefeasible right of use (IRU) on AC-1 Atlantic undersea
cable but no European assets. Making investments in South America and
Australia. The company is evaluating its international strategy and potential
partners.
Identity and mission: To become the leading provider of wholesale services
domestically and internationally in 100 cities by year-end 2001. The carrier is
building on a strong domestic base that Williams has been serving since 1995
on its 11,000-route- mile, two-fiber network. Carrier will serve as a
complement to tier-one interexchange carriers (IXCs), RBOCs, Internet
service providers (ISPs) and CLECs. Employees are encouraged to think
globally and focus on wholesale.
Current status: In January, Williams re-emerged from a non-compete
contract with WorldCom. Williams is bringing a similar set of carrier-class
offerings to market nationwide.
Fiber status: Building the Williams Broadband Multi Service Network, a
21,000-route-mile, OC-192, four fiber bi-directional line switched ring
(BLSR) network.
Core architecture: Asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) and dense wave
division multiplexing (DWDM) architectures.
Strategy and differentiation: Williams is evaluating deployment of voice
switches, as voice represents a key ingredient for many tier-one customers. Its
fiber network strategy is to light a single fiber pair at a time and add DWDM as
capacity dictates, then light another fiber pair. The carrier currently leases bulk
capacity on routes where it needs connectivity. A significant amount of capacity
is off-net, but over time Williams will groom those circuits to a new network.
Williams is burying four conduits, all along a new route.
"We are the only network provider that is selling specifically as a wholesaler to
carriers," says Frank Semple, president of Williams Network.
"The fact that Williams has access to and is constructing its network along
38,000 miles of liquid and natural gas pipeline means that our network is very
secure," Semple continues. "We've never had a cut on our pipeline, and that
makes us significantly different from companies that are constructing their
networks along highways or railroad right of way [ROW]. Our network
architecture is also a key differentiator. It's ATM-centric, not IP-centric like the
networks of some of our competitors. From a technical standpoint, we are
using 40-mile spacing, which allows us to use a higher density of DWDM, than
Qwest, which is using 60-mile spacing."
Copyright 1998 Advanstar Communications. Please send any technical comments or
questions to the America's Network webmaster.
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