AUGUST 19, 2008 -- XO Communications (search for XO Communications) says it has made significant enhancements to its Ethernet infrastructure in order to offer businesses and wholesale customers new speed options, greater availability of Ethernet services, and next-generation Ethernet service offerings.
XO Communications has deployed a new and enhanced Ethernet switching platform in major metropolitan locations across its nationwide network. This new platform provides a highly reliable, service=rich, next-generation infrastructure that will enable XO to offer a broader range of Ethernet bandwidth options and services, say company representatives. In addition, this new platform will provide the pathway for XO to provide true any-to-any, multi-site Ethernet along with multiple classes of service on an on-demand basis.
"The recent upgrades we have made to our platform illustrate our dedication to Ethernet and its progression as the preferred networking solution for many of our customers," contends Randy Nicklas, chief technology officer at XO Communications. "We continue to invest in our Ethernet infrastructure in order to meet the needs of our customers who are increasingly relying on Ethernet to support mission-critical applications and data across their wide area networks."
XO Communications says it now offers customers an even wider range of incremental bandwidth options to choose from when creating their custom Ethernet offering. Customers can now obtain new speeds of 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 200, 300, 400, or 500 Mbits/sec at on-net fiber locations, and speeds of 15 or 20 Mbits/sec at locations served by last mile copper where XO has deployed Ethernet-over-copper technology. These speeds are currently available in Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, San Jose, Seattle, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. XO expects to roll out the speed options to all of its markets across the country early next year.
"Our customers in industries like healthcare, education, government, and finance have a wide range of data requirements for their bandwidth-intensive applications," notes Nicklas. "Incremental bandwidth options are great for these businesses that need increased scalability for their Ethernet needs."
In addition to the recent Ethernet infrastructure improvements, XO says it has increased the distance over which it can deliver Ethernet services via last mile copper to business locations that are up to 11,000 feet from central offices in which XO has deployed Ethernet-over-copper technology. This expansion has increased XO's Ethernet over copper services footprint by 18%, say company representatives.
The upgrades XO Communications has made on its Ethernet platform have also set the stage for the company to offer exciting new Ethernet service offerings in the near future. These upgrades will provide XO Communications with the ability to offer Classes of Service (CoS) with Ethernet and Ethernet Virtual Private LAN Service (E-VPLS), which it expects to be able to offer customers in 2009. As a layer 2 networking service, E-VPLS will allow businesses to move multipoint-to-multipoint traffic to support both IP and non-IP network traffic while maintaining the flexibility to control the routing and increased network performance.
"As we continue to strengthen our Ethernet infrastructure, we're preparing to deliver Layer 2 technologies to our customers to meet their evolving business needs," adds Nicklas. "We look forward to offering VPLS to provide our customers with another flexible, reliable, and cost-effective wide area networking service offering."
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