Breaking News - Networking:
AT&T Expands Global Networking Capabilities
In the latest example of its leadership in business networks and of its own
transformation, AT&T today announced a new series of enhancements to its
industry-leading global Internet protocol (IP) network to address the reach,
performance and security requirements of the Fortune 1000 customers it serves
worldwide.
The enhancements -- part of an ongoing series of technology deployments --
reflect AT&T's commitment to business customers, such as international spirits
firm Allied Domecq PLC, Elizabeth Arden Inc, the industry-owned cooperative
SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication) and Swiss
International Air Lines Ltd, that generated almost 75 percent of the company's
$34.5 billion annual revenue in 2003.
Specifically, the company is announcing:
- Expansion of its global IP network into rapidly growing markets such as
China, Thailand, India and Costa Rica, as well as integration with Alestra's
network in Mexico.
- Growing volume of live customer traffic over recently deployed long- haul
Optical Carrier (OC)-768-ready fiber from San Francisco to Seattle,
transmitting data up to 40 gigabits per second on a single fiber strand.
- Unsurpassed global broadband remote access options to support growing
remote and mobile workforce -- increasing global WiFi access from 2,900 to
4,000 hot spots, wired Ethernet from 600 U.S. locations to 1,200 globally, and
digital subscriber line (DSL) from 6,300 U.S. central offices to 8,000.
- Extension of its unique network disaster recovery capabilities into Europe.
- Opening of four new Internet Data Centers in Frankfurt, Paris, Tokyo and
London, expanding its footprint to 25 centers on four continents, to support
its growing hosting business.
"Our customers need to operate as 24-7, 'always on,' virtual enterprises, and
we are extending our market leadership position with continued investment in
capabilities that meet their complex networking and technology requirements,"
said AT&T President Bill Hannigan. "Today's announcement reinforces our
commitment and investment to set the standard for network performance and
innovation."
With the enhancements announced today, businesses and government agencies
worldwide will be able to place their information technology resources on
AT&T's global IP network with the confidence that their suppliers, employees,
customers and partners can access critical data and applications reliably and
securely from anywhere at any time -- enabling the networked enterprise. In
fact, AT&T recently announced best-in-class performance guarantees across its
suite of global IP services.
The continued expansion of AT&T's networking infrastructure and capabilities
is further evidence of the speed with which the company has transformed its
business from a traditional telecommunications bandwidth provider to a leading
integrator of enterprise and application networking solutions that leverage
the flexibility and ubiquity of IP.
"We're taking the experience and expertise we've gained through our own
ongoing transformation to help enterprise customers with perhaps the most
complex networking challenge they face -- the eventual migration to all IP,"
Hannigan said. "As a leading provider of IP networking solutions, we know IP
better than anyone else. So as companies make that transition, no one is
better positioned as the business customer's migration partner of choice than
AT&T."
Extending the reach of AT&T's global IP network into additional countries in
Asia-Pacific and Latin America illustrate growing demand for increased network
presence to support continued market expansion into those regions by the
company's largest multinational customers. And as AT&T continues to expand its
network, it also is extending its unique mobile network disaster recovery
capability to Europe, where it has the largest concentration of network assets
outside North America.
Over the last 10 years, AT&T has invested about $300 million in a one-of-
a-kind network disaster recovery capability, which includes a dedicated team
of disaster recovery personnel and a fleet of more than 100 specially designed
tractor-trailers that house the same equipment and components in an AT&T
network node. Although these trailers traditionally have been deployed
worldwide out of U.S. facilities, AT&T now has this capability based out of
Europe as well for even faster response in the event of emergencies.
With the announcement, AT&T also reaffirms its distinction as "The World's
Networking Company" with the recent deployment of OC-768 fiber between San
Francisco and Seattle. This latest improvement represents a significant step
toward AT&T's all-photonic network to support next-generation bandwidth
on-demand services, such as streaming audio and video, content distribution,
online gaming, as well as utility and Grid computing.
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