Qwest Finishes Expansion into Canada

Qwest Communications International Inc. Wednesday said it has completed its high-speed fiber optic and broadband build in Canada, and is now set to offer advanced IP services in the region.

Qwest (QWST) completed a 4,300-mile high-speed fiber-optic network in Canada, racking up the company’s total infrastructure to more
than 24,500 miles. The Canadian section is an asset exchange between Qwest and Worldwide Fiber Inc. of Vancouver.

By the first quarter of next year, Qwest expects to offer high-bandwidth data routing as well as broadband Internet services, dedicated access, Web site and application hosting and e-commerce applications.

“With the addition of our Canadian network, Qwest has the assets necessary to meet customer needs in North America and to connect globally to our networks in Europe and the Asia Pacific region,” said Joseph P. Nacchio, Qwest’s chairman and CEO.

Facilities for the new services will cater to the metropolitan markets of Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver and will be connected to its US counterparts in Seattle, Minneapolis and Buffalo.

In September, Qwest Communications International Inc. and high-speed Internet service provider CAIS Internet formed strategic alliance worth approximately $69 million to deliver high-speed Internet access to new markets.