Level 3 Communications has added ultra-low-latency network routes to Milan and Zurich. The routes are available from London, Frankfurt, Madrid, New York City and Chicago. The routes provide financial exchanges and trading venues with access to all six major European financial centres as well as key U.S. centres over Level 3’s international network.
Sprint Announces First Fruit of New Multi-Mode Network
March 17th, 2011
Sprint announced plans to expand its push-to-talk feature more broadly on its 3G CDMA network in the fourth quarter of 2011. As part of the launch, Sprint will offer an initial set of handsets with features designed for workgroups that rely on push-to-talk. Sprint also is launching a new push-to-talk brand called “Sprint Direct Connect.”
Sprint Direct Connect service is described by Sprint as a tangible benefit of Network Vision, Sprint’s blueprint to deploy a revamped network capable of supporting CDMA, WiMAX and LTE from a single set of base stations. Network Vision is expected to “consolidate multiple network technologies into one seamless network” with better coverage, quality and speed; better network flexibility; reduced operating costs; and improved environmental sustainability, Sprint says. See http://newsroom.sprint.com/news/sprint-announces-network-vision-network-evolution-plan.htm.
Sprint’s $5 billion network modernization program might also save the company a huge amount of money: possibly $10 billion to $11 billion over seven years. That would be reason enough to pursue the upgrade. will decrease the number of the carrier’s cell sites from 66,000 to 46,000, the company’s CFO has said.
More important are the potential strategic options, such as allowing Sprint the ability to deploy its own Long Term Evolution network, on its own facilities and using its owned spectrum, instead of relying on Clearwire facilities, even though Sprint owns 54 percent of Clearwire.
Angola, Gabon, Ghana and Kenya Mobile Operators to Invest $1.45 Billion in Backhaul in 2015
March 16th, 2011
Mobile operators in Angola, Gabon, Ghana and Kenya will spend $1.45 billion on mobile backhaul facilities in 2015, up from $355 million spent in 2009, according to Frost & Sullivan. As is the case elsewhere, demand for mobile data services is driving the need for additional capacity.
“Escalating demand for data services is driving the need for upgrading mobile network backhaul infrastructure,” says Frost & Sullivan Senior Research Analyst Vitalis G. Ozianyi.