22 July 2003 Boca Raton, FL Lightwave -- CableRunner North America, LLC, a public/private business venture part owned and operated by the City of Vienna, Austria, Sewer Department (CableRunner Europe, a.k.a. WKA), a fiber-optic infrastructure provider, announced today that its sister company, WKA/CableRunner Austria, has acquired Global Metro Networks' Austrian operations including a 92-km dark fiber ring in the City of Vienna, Austria. Financial terms were not disclosed.
The acquisition allows CableRunner Austria to provide dark fiber rings in addition to its last mile deployment solutions. This acquisition positions CableRunner Austria as a major dark fiber provider and opens opportunities for the company to acquire other city network operations and dark fiber rings throughout Europe and North America.
The 92-km dark fiber acquisition provides the City of Vienna with the potential to expand its city network and become the second largest wired city in the world. The City plans to use its own CableRunner technology for deployment projects.
Under the terms of the agreement, Global Metro Networks' Austrian operations will be fully integrated into CableRunner Austria. The company will become a dark fiber provider performing installations, support and back office services for fiber management.
"Global Metro Networks and WKA/CableRunner have enjoyed a long and mutually beneficial history together," stated Claudia Nettig, president and chief executive officer of CableRunner North America and official North American representative of The City of Vienna, Austria. "This acquisition allows us to offer total turn-key solutions from dark fiber rings to last mile infrastructures and individual building connections."