JUNE 3, 2009 -- Global Crossing (search Lightwave for Global Crossing) says it will expand capacity on its Mid-Atlantic Crossing (MAC), South American Crossing (SAC), and Pan American Crossing (PAC) undersea fiber-optic cable systems to meet growing demand for converged services.
"The investments we are making are in response to the continued demand Global Crossing is experiencing across our global network," said John Legere, Global Crossing's CEO. "We are increasing capacity on our undersea systems to accommodate our enterprise, carrier, and service provider customers' requirements for IP connectivity and transport services, such as video over IP, social media, and content delivery networks."
Upgrades to the MAC, targeted for the third quarter of this year, include adding capacity on all routes between New York, St. Croix, and Florida.
Upgrades to SAC will include adding capacity across all system segments, including the Trans-Andean Crossing, and the crossing among Panama, Venezuela, and the Virgin Islands. These upgrades will be ready for service on a phased schedule during the third and fourth quarters of this year, the company says.
An upgrade of the PAC, between Fort Amador, Panama, and Grover Beach, CA, also is under way and is targeted for service in the fourth quarter of this year. The PAC connects the United States' West Coast to Mexico, Costa Rica, and Panama.
"In spite of the global economic downturn, the Latin American market is poised to sustain strong growth over the next five years," commented Wally Swain, senior vice president at Yankee Group. "The principal market drivers of this growth include expanding broadband penetration, the uptake in 3G mobile services, and the increasing usage of content-rich applications."
According to Yankee Group, broadband penetration in Latin America is projected to increase from 24.1 million lines in 2008 to 35.5 million lines in 2013.*
During the first half of 2009, Global Crossing also will complete upgrades to the southern route of its Atlantic Crossing 1 (AC-1) undersea fiber-optic cable system, adding capacity between New York City and the United Kingdom. The company is on schedule to complete upgrades to AC-1 North, which connects Brookhaven, NY, to Germany and the Netherlands. The company announced in January that it planned to add 600 Gbps of transport capacity to the AC-1 Northern and Southern routes.
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