CenturyLink expands fibre network across US and Europe
July 23, 2019
As customer demand for extreme high-capacity, low-latency data transport continues to grow, hybrid networking and cloud connectivity specialist CenturyLink is utilising its global multi-conduit infrastructure to expand the company’s intercity network by 4.7 million miles of fibre, which it says makes it the largest ultra-low-loss fibre network in North America.
“Our newly built intercity fibre network, created with the latest optical technology, is another example of how our diverse fibre assets differentiate us from other network providers,” said Andrew Dugan, CenturyLink chief technology officer. “Our multi-conduit infrastructure has a significant amount of capacity for supporting the growing demand for fibre and will allow us to quickly and cost effectively deploy new fibre technology now and in the future. This uniquely positions CenturyLink to meet the needs of companies seeking highly reliable, low-latency network infrastructure designed to move massive amounts of data.”
The first phase of this overbuild fibre network, completed in June, connects more than 50 major cities throughout the US and represents another powerful asset in CenturyLink’s vast global fibre-optic network, which includes a purpose-built long-haul network and dense metro networks designed to stay ahead of the growing data demand. The second phase of this expansion will include areas in Europe and will be completed by early 2021. The expanded infrastructure, using the latest optical innovations from Corning Incorporated will enhance performance levels across CenturyLink’s network, benefiting businesses, government agencies and providers seeking fibre to build their own secure, scalable networks for demanding next-generation applications. The investments in the first phase of this project are included in the full year 2019 capital expenditure outlook announced on CenturyLink’s fourth quarter 2018 earnings call.
“A next-generation network requires next-generation optical infrastructure, and we believe Corning’s fibre and cable innovations will enable CenturyLink and its customers to unlock the opportunities presented by the Internet of Things and other transformative technologies,” said Dr. Bernhard Deutsch, vice president and general manager, Corning Optical Fiber and Cable. “With the expanded optical reach and capacity provided by our ultra-low-loss fibre, CenturyLink will magnify the capabilities of their expansive, scalable fibre network.”
CenturyLink was able to quickly and cost effectively complete the first phase of the project using multi-conduit infrastructure already in place. The company is currently selling routes to large enterprise companies and content providers in the US and will work with customers to add additional routes as needed.