Fibre-optic provider Carrier1
International S.A. and Star One AG
Wednesday teamed up on a DM 144 million ($71.5 million) deal to provide
broadband access in Germany.
Under the 20-year agreement, Star One secured exclusive rights to use two
fibres from Carrier1’s existing fibre-optic network supplying connectivity
to 17 German cities.
The watershed contract for Carrier1 (CONE)
confirms its market leadership in pan-European broadband network services.
Edward Gross, Carrier1 Germany managing director, said the synergies
between the two organisations were critical to constructing the deal.
“Initially Star One was impressed with the quality and reliability of our
offer, but the deciding factor in this important contract was the
flexibility Carrier1 has shown in creating the services Star One AG
specified,” Gross said. “This flexibility is paramount in all of our
dealings with our European customers.”
Christian Golaszewski, Star One chief operating officer, said it is one of
the few carriers in Germany its fully controls its own broadband
infrastructure as a result of the deal.
“Star One is now able to provide more customers than ever with fast and
affordable access to the whole potential range of broadband
telecommunications services from a single source,” Golaszewski said.
Star One has begun building a Point-to-Multipoint (PMP) wireless broadband
network designed to dominate “last mile” broadband connectivity in Germany.
It intends to provide customers with high-speed data transport and Internet
access, as well as local and long distance voice services.
The fibre-optic network provided to Star One covers Hamburg, Berlin,
Dresden, Leipzig, Nuremberg, Munich, Stuttgart, Mannheim, Frankfurt,
Cologne, Dusseldorf, Essen, Dortmund, and Bremen with extensions into
Bielefeld, Hanover and Magdeburg.
Headquartered in Frankfurt, Star One has established itself as the early
leader in the German broadband marketplace. Its service areas cover
approximately 50 Million potential customers and 850,000 businesses. The
company’s license coverage area includes a majority of the metropolitan
areas in Germany.
Zurich-based Carrier1’s Pan European inter-city fiber network connects 11
countries and spans over 9,000 route kilometers. The firm currently
constructing 20 intra-city fiber networks and through its investment in the
joint venture HubCo S.A., is in the process of building 20 full-service
data center facilities.
