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Technology Stocks : Qwest Communications (Q) (formerly QWST) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Clean who wrote (2487)	12/7/1998 2:51:00 PM
From: Roger Hess	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 6846

Yesterday, one of the Qwest trains went through town, and I was able to talk with several workers on the crew for about an hour while they were waiting on a siding for several trains to come through. Good stuff. Five sets of conduit are being installed, with two reserved for QWST and the remaining three for other companies to purchase. They said they make up to five miles on a good day, and there were 3 or 4 other trains doing the same installation. The train has two engines, the plow car, 4 or 5 cars with spools of conduit, a gondola, a boxcar, and a caboose. The conduit on the spools is 5000' long. Once the conduit runs out, they bury a container about the size of a desk and run the conduit into it, then run another 5000' of conduit and repeat the procedure. Soon after, another group comes along and pulls the fiber through the conduit that has been installed. The fiber comes in 5 or 6-mile lengths and is made by Lucent. The purpose of the box is to wind some extra fiber inside in the shape of a coil. If a backhoe accidentally pulls up the conduit, there will be some 'give' to it and less chance of a break in the line so long as the conduit and fiber are not severed. On a recent line 350 miles long that was run, one of the five was sold and paid for the cost of all five! Also, they were impressed with the network Level 3 (LVLT) is creating. As a matter of trivia, I've heard that there is an IMMENSE cost to someone who cuts a fiber line. Does anyone know the $$$ specifics?