Level 3 Expands Into the Balkans

June 28th, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

With its pending acquisition of glbc about to expand its network coverage inorganically, Level 3 Communications (NYSE:LVLT, news, filings) has first taken the time for some organic expansion into some European territory neither has been in before.  They announced two new PoPs in the former Yugoslavia, adding Zagreb, Croatia and Ljubljana, Slovenia to their network. 

Thus far, it looks like the additional PoPs are coming via leased wavelengths as opposed to acquiring dark fiber.  However, the PR did say the company will be offering both Ethernet and wavelength services to customers in the region, including Telekom Slovenije as quoted.  They haven’t yet added the new routes to their network map, but hopefully that will come soon.

A few years ago, Level 3’s European network stopped in Munich.  They moved eastward by buying some dark fiber as far as Budapest and then southeast to Bucharest and Sofia.  So Zagreb and Ljubljana were really next on the list, I wonder when Belgrade and Athens will be worth bringing online.  The bandwidth market in Eastern Europe continues to be a growth driver for network operators in general despite the arrival of pricing pressure over the past year or two.

 

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Categories: Internet Backbones

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