Verizon unveils global network plans

Verizon Communications Wednesday announced plans to build and operate its own global network carrying data, Internet and voice traffic and linking the U.S., Europe, Asia and Latin America.

Verizon's network will begin by connecting New York to six cities in Europe by the second quarter of the year, Verizon said in a statement. Those cities will be Amsterdam, Brussels, Frankfurt, London, Milan and Paris. Verizon said links between Hawaii, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Sydney are already operating.

By 2003, the company will extend the network to additional cities in Europe (such as Geneva, Zurich and Madrid), Asia (Singapore) and Latin America (Buenos Aires, Caracas and Mexico City), Verizon said.

Verizon's long term goal is to offer customer services, including Web-based services such as provisioning and billing, along with the multinational network's telecom services and expects to invest about $1 billion over 5 years in the network, the company said.

The announcement comes the day after Sprint outlined its plans to expand its global IP network across Europe and Asia and build data centers as part of a revamped international strategy. Specifically, Sprint said it will build out its IP network to connect 15 cities in 13 European and Asian countries by year-end, with the network growing to reach 35 European and Asian cities by the end of 2003.

Verizon's new worldwide network will put the telecom company into more direct global competition not only with Sprint but also with AT&T/British Telecommunications PLC, Cable & Wireless PLC, France Télécom SA/Equant NV, Infonet Services and WorldCom.

Verizon will work closely with partners Flag Telecom Asia Ltd. and Metromedia Fiber Network to build the multinational network, the company said. Flag is currently installing trans-Atlantic cable between New York, London and Paris which is expected to begin working in March, Verizon said. Flag also is developing a trans-Pacific cable, and will be responsible for a north Asian loop, the company said.

MFN has been contracted by Verizon to operate gateway switches in New York, Los Angeles and Honolulu, with a London European network operations center to be built and launched by the second quarter of the year, Verizon said.

Financial details of the partnerships were not disclosed.

Verizon's plans to market its global network and services to businesses in Europe, Latin America and Asia will be announced "shortly," the company said.

Verizon Communications was created by the merger between Bell Atlantic and GTE. The New York telecom company is at www.verizon.com/.

The IDG News Service is a Network World affiliate.