Let’s take a quick look at some news from the gear-makers lately: [Read more →]
Unified Windstream/PAETEC Coverage Map
December 6th, 2011
Following quickly on the heels of the closing of the PAETEC deal, Windstream (NYSE:WIN, news, filings) has a new network map on its website illustrating the newly unified asset base and LEC coverage areas. It brings together the combined footprints of [Read more →]
Clearwire Preps Stock Offering
December 6th, 2011
WiMAX operator and LTE hopeful clwr is wasting no time following up on last week’s financing deal with Sprint Nextel (NYSE:S, news, filings). Clearwire said yesterday that it intends to sell up to $300M of its class A common stock in a public offering, with an additional $45M on tap for overflows. Of course, I strongly suspect [Read more →]
Gaining Modular Traction, IO Releases Data Center OS
December 5th, 2011
Today modular data center operator and manufacturer IO made an interesting move, offering its IO OS data center operating system as a standalone software product. Originally designed for its modular IO Anywhere product, the software also offers intelligent control of [Read more →]
Ethernet exchanges a pain in the backend: C&WW
December 5th, 2011
This article was authored by John Tanner, and was originally posted on telecomasia.net.
This time last year, Ethernet exchanges were a fresh topic at Carrier Ethernet World Asia, promising easy interconnection of Ethernet services between service providers. One year later, at least one major carrier – Cable & Wireless Worldwide – is not impressed. [Read more →]
Cables Throw Wireless Weight to Verizon
December 5th, 2011
On Friday, Time Warner, Comcast, and Bright House announced an agreement to sell their spectrum to Verizon for $3.6B. The 122 AWS spectrum licenses, held by the SpectrumCo joint venture, give Verizon’s already vast spectrum holdings a boost that will help it meet LTE data demands for quite some time. Meanwhile, Comcast and Time Warner will also be [Read more →]
Emerald Networks Formally Launches
December 2nd, 2011
Back in July, a previously unknown outfit named Emerald Atlantis picked TE SubCom to help build a brand new 100x100Gbps transatlantic cable system. This fall, the company has rebranded itself as Emerald Networks, hired a CEO and CFO, and today it formally launched its effort, aiming for completion in the Spring of 2013. [Read more →]
Zayo Closes 360Networks Deal, Goes Transcontinental
December 2nd, 2011
Zayo Group (news, filings) never wastes time closing acquisitions, so it came as no surprise to me that the company announced this morning that its purchase of 360Networks is already a done deal. The combined company has an annualized run rate of [Read more →]
Friday Metro Bytes 12/2: Fibertech, Integra, PAETEC, US Signal
December 2nd, 2011
TGIF, is it December already? Here’s a quick look at a few more items from the metro space this week: [Read more →]
Poll: Will AT&T Still Prevail In the End?
December 2nd, 2011
After the FCC’s unambiguous challenge to the merger of AT&T and T-Mobile last week, AT&T’s strategic retreat and rumors of a divestment package, and everything that has gone under the bridge since the deal was announced last march, it’s time for another poll. What do you think, is the merger now fully DOA or are there chapters left to write? [Read more →]
Sprint, Clearwire Make Their Deal
December 1st, 2011
They took it down to the wire, but Sprint Nextel (NYSE:S, news, filings) and clwr have made peace again. Clearwire will make the $237M debt payment that they had threatened to default on, and Sprint has offered them up to $1.6B in funding and payments for services, although not all at once and with strings attached of course. [Read more →]
Windstream Closes PAETEC Deal
December 1st, 2011
It’s official, Windstream (NYSE:WIN, news, filings) is now a national super-CLEC. Today they closed their purchase of PAETEC (news, filings) in a $2.3B stock deal, bringing the competitive service provider’s $2B in annual revenue under their wing. Of course, Windstream’s earlier purchases of Nuvox and KDL/Norlight had already taken them quite a distance down this road, but PAETEC gives them a much, much larger presence outside of their ILEC footprint. [Read more →]
Clearwire’s Game Isn’t Chess and Isn’t Chicken Either
December 1st, 2011
For the last month and a half, the media has likened the Sprint/Clearwire soap opera to a variety of games – baseball, global thermonuclear war, and of course chess. Now I’m a chess player, and these guys are not playing chess. [Read more →]
Revenues, Margins, and Capex for Competitive Network Operators
December 1st, 2011
On Monday I posted the my updated relative valuations chart for Q3, and here is the followup with a look at the rest of the data showing the latest trends in Revenue Growth, EBITDA Margin, and Capex as a percentage of revenue. [Read more →]
AT&T, China Telecom Play IP VPN Footsie
November 30th, 2011
Taking a break from its merger travails back in the USA, AT&T (NYSE:T, news, filings) deepened its relationships in the largest market in the world today. China Telecom (NYSE:CHA, news, filings) and AT&T have signed a strategic framework agreement aimed at better serving the needs of multinational customers. [Read more →]
Global Roundup 11/30: Pacnet, euNetworks, Interoute, Allstream, Neotel
November 30th, 2011
Time to catch up on interesting international news items this week.
In the Pacific, independent operator Pacnet followed through on its content delivery plans, launching the Pacnet CDN. The company partnered with [Read more →]
Zayo Bets Big on San Diego
November 30th, 2011
Zayo’s appetites get bigger every year, but yesterday’s expansion announcement may be its most aggressive organic buildout yet. The fiber operator unveiled plans to build a metro network across the San Diego metro area, and we’re not talking about a starter ring or two here. When complete, Zayo’s San Diego buildout will cover some 400 route miles. [Read more →]
Unite Private Networks Expands Across Colorado’s Front Range
November 30th, 2011
Midwestern fiber operator Unite Private Networks took another aggressive step forward from its rural E-Rate roots. Yesterday they opened up a new regional intercity network across the Colorado ‘Front Range’. [Read more →]
Cloud Roundup 11/29: Cisco, Cologix, EGHT, Equinix
November 29th, 2011
A quick look at recent developments in the colocation, data center, and cloud segment: [Read more →]
PAETEC Drums Up More Federal Dollars
November 29th, 2011
National CLEC PAETEC (news, filings) said yesterday it has picked up another federal contract. DISA has awarded them a three year contract to supply Fort Drum at the foot of the Adirondacks with fiber and DWDM services. Fort Drum trains 80,000 troops annually and is the home of [Read more →]
Iowa Considers Selling Its Fiber
November 29th, 2011
Last week it was the city of Seattle looking to unload a public fiber asset, and now apparently it is the state of Iowa according to an article in the Quad City Times. A special committee authorized by the Governor and the Legislature is putting together a process by which the state would solicit offers for the Iowa Communications Network. [Read more →]
Why Buy Sprint? DT Has a Much Better Alternative
November 29th, 2011
In the aftermath of the AT&T-Mo deal kerfuffle over the past week and a half, lots of commentary has focused on what alternatives Deutsche Telecom AG (ETR:DTE, news, filings) has if it all falls apart – as seems more likely than ever. Yesterday, one piece has DT looking to buy Sprint for $30B in what has to be one of the more loony possibilities. But why do we have to make things so complicated? DT has an obvious way forward. [Read more →]
Valuations for Competitive Network Operators Down Sharply
November 28th, 2011
Back at the start of Q3, competitive network operators were seeing strong valuations following a quarter of good press, M&A activity, and lots and lots of rumors. But in the third quarter and on into the fourth now, the market has turned decidedly ambivalent toward the sector despite continued margin gains and solid results. [Read more →]