Fiber optic operator
Global Crossing
announced Monday that it has extended its pan-European
network to Spain and Scandinavia.
The extension takes in five new cities in Spain, including
Madrid and Barcelona, and three new cities in Scandinavia,
including Stockholm and Oslo. The additions take Global Crossing’s
European network to a total of over 40 commercial centers,
representing an investment of around $3 billion.
Wim Huisman, president of Global Crossing’s European operations,
said Monday’s announcement was a major step in the development
of a seamless global network connecting Europe with the United
States, Asia and Latin America via undersea cables.
“We are now bringing to Spain and Scandinavia not only world class
connectivity, but also high-speed and ultra-reliable communications
services that will continue to enable our customers to conduct their
business on a truly global scale,” said Huisman.
The statistics of Global Crossing’s European network are
becoming almost astronomical, with the company having laid over
a million kilometers of actual fiber over a 23,000 kilometer route.
Cities where European businesses can connect to the Global Crossing IP-based
fiber system include London, Paris, Strasbourg, Amsterdam, Rotterdam,
Antwerp, Brussels, Hamburg, Hannover, Dusseldorf, Cologne, Frankfurt and
Copenhagen.
This year, Global Crossing is conducting Phase II of its European
build, with connections to Berlin, Dresden, Leipzig, Nuremburg, Munich,
Stuttgart, Lyon, Marseilles, Bordeaux, Turin, Milan, Zurich — all
in addition to those announced this week.
The Spanish and Scandinavian networks are using 80-channel WaveStar
dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) systems supplied by
Lucent Technologies.
The total number of route miles announced to date by Global Crossing
is 97,200 miles worldwide in 24 countries, connecting 200 major cities.
