Qwest Communications
Inc. Wednesday won a $13 million, multi-year contract to provide
backbone capacity to America Online Inc.
Qwest will provide AOL with high-speed IP connectivity, private line and
collocation services as well as additional bandwidth.
AOL will deploy several high-speed connections from Qwest, ranging in
speeds from OC-3, or 155 megabits per second, to OC-48, or 2.4 gigabits per
second, in key cities throughout the country.
Qwest said the backbone will ensure data an dimages will travel reliably
and securely between customers’ computers and AOL servers.
“This agreement with AOL clearly illustrates their continuing commitment to
delivering the highest-quality performance for its members as well as
Qwest’s ability to deliver reliable, high-speed access to support Internet
communications services,” said Shaun Gilmore, Qwest’s senior vice president
of national accounts.
Joe Barrett, AOL’s vice president of Internet operations, said Qwest was
selected because its state-of-the-art network will enhance the Internet
experience of its 15 million members.
“We’re confident that Qwest’s network will scale with the growth of AOL and
the Internet at large,” he said.
