JULY 30, 2007 -- In a continuing effort to meet increased demand for network bandwidth from enterprises, service providers, and telecommunications companies, XO Communications (search for XO Communications) today announced an increase in the capacity of its core network by 200%. XO says it will deploy an additional 800 Gbits/sec of capacity on major coast-to-coast routes across its nationwide 18,000-route-mile optical network, augmenting a capacity expansion it completed last year, which delivered 400 Gbits/sec of capacity across its network.
As a result of the explosion in customer driven demand for bandwidth-hungry applications and services such as online video streaming, rich multi-media content, high-definition (HD) video, VoIP, and higher-speed broadband offerings, service providers are facing increased demands on their networks for more capacity, say XO representatives. The new capacity XO will deploy is part of the multi-million dollar network investment and marketing initiatives begun last year to stay ahead of the growing demand for its inter-city network transport services, says the company.
For the new capacity upgrade, XO will light two new fiber strands on its nationwide fiber network, adding 800 Gbits/sec of capacity in core XO network nodes, which will deliver an additional 80 10-Gbit/secIchannels on major coast-to-coast XO networkEroutes. XO Communications has contracted with Infinera Corp. (search for Infinera) to implement the new capacity upgrade using the Infinera DTN system, which XO implemented last year with the initial expansion of its network.
"Because of continuing customer demand and the success we have had in the market to date, XO is taking additional actions to stay ahead of demand for high-capacity long haul services from enterprise and carrier customers," explains Ernie Ortega, president of XO Carrier Services. "Our network investments, industry-leading optical technology, and sales initiatives have enabled XO to become the new, more agile provider of long haul and high-capacity network services for large enterprises and carrier customers."
Infinera also says its network has provided XO competitive advantages in terms of service flexibility and speed. The innovative modular design of the Infinera DTN is designed to allow XO to quickly and easily offer SONET/SDH and Ethernet services at rates of 10 Gbits/sec, 2.5 Gbits/sec, and 1 Gbit/sec from the same platform, enabling XO to sign more customers and offer more services than they could with traditional DWDM systems, say Infinera representatives.
Last year's initial XO deployment of an Infinera network was completed in five months, more quickly than originally scheduled, notes Infinera. With its carrier-class IQ network operating system, including GMPLS service intelligence, the Infinera network is able to automatically recognize and configure network assets, reducing the time and manpower required to deploy a network or add a new circuit, freeing up valuable engineering resources to focus on more strategic challenges, says the company.
"We are delighted to broaden and deepen our relationship with a leading service provider like XO Communications," notes Infinera CEO Jagdeep Singh. "The Infinera platform is an ideal solution for the wholesale telecom market, which puts an emphasis on speed, customer service, and network intelligence."
Following the expansion of the XO network last year and continuing with the new capacity upgrade announced today, XO says it hopes to establish itself as the new, more agile provider of high-capacity network services for large enterprises and service providers, including major cable companies, content providers, telecommunications carriers, and wireless companies. Through the flexibility, scalability, and advanced optical technology deployed in the XO network, XO says it is able to provision services faster and provide a range of higher-speed network transport services, including
• Ethernet services from Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) to 10-Gbit/sec speeds;
• IP Transit services from OC-3 to OC-192 speeds;
• Private Line services from OC-3 to OC-192 speeds; and
• Wavelength services at 2.5-Gbit/sec and 10-Gbit/sec speeds.
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