Sprint SONET on the Way

[David Farber <farber@central.cis.upenn.edu>]

From: JOHN.D.GRETZINGER@sprint.sprint.com
Date: 26 Jan 94 21:22:10-0500
Subject: Sprint SONET on the Way




OK, so MCI says they are going to do this some day; well here is the
time table for Sprint to have SONET in place.


Forwarded message from PC SprintMail:


    Contact:  Jim Bowman   (O) 913-967-3675
              Gerry Simone (O) 202-828-7423




              SPRINT TO PROVIDE SONET ACROSS NORTH AMERICA
                        FOR INTERNATIONAL CARRIERS




         WASHINGTON, D.C., Jan. 22, 1994 -- Sprint will provide SONET
    (synchronous optical network) transit service across North America
    by the end of 1994 for the 31 European and Asian carriers forming
    a multilateral group, the company told representatives of the
    group in meetings this week.


         At that time Sprint's international dedicated transit route
    through North America will be predominantly SONET, and it will be
    all-SONET in 1995, when synchronous digital hierarchy -- the
    international equivalent of SONET -- cables will connect the
    United States with both Europe and Asia.


         SONET is the emerging transport standard of the Information
    Superhighway.  It carries vastly larger quantities of traffic than
    most current transport equipment, at speeds up to 20 times faster.
    Sprint announced its SONET deployment plan as part of its overall
    broadband strategy in September 1992, and began deploying SONET
    equipment on its network in 1993.


         Sprint's SONET deployment is increasing network capacity for
    rapidly developing international and domestic traffic loads,
    moving voice, image, data and video simultaneously over Sprint's
    fiber-optic network already in place.  In addition, Sprint's
    broadband network  architecture, combined with deployment of an
    advanced form of SONET equipment only now becoming available,
    provides for unprecedented levels of reliability.


         Representatives of the multilateral group met with Sprint
    International officials this week at the company's headquarters
    outside Washington, D.C., to review progress and to confirm
    schedules and revenue projections for the next two years of a
    three-year pact signed last March.


         By that agreement, the international carriers receive
    preferred rates and service guarantees for transit of
    international calls across North America.  Sprint's price and
    performance guarantees are available to all signatory
    companies of the multilateral group for a period of 25 years, a
    significant benefit for smaller companies that now can enjoy the
    same volume pricing and associated benefits previously only
    available to the largest carriers.  The value to Sprint is
    estimated in the tens of millions of dollars.


         "The technology and capacity of Sprint's advanced fiber-optic
    network allows us to provide many services for other carriers,
    including dedicated transit services for overseas carriers since
    1989," said Paolo Guidi, president of Sprint International.


         "Many of the companies in the multilateral group have been
    Sprint customers for years, and they already were familiar with
    Sprint's superior quality," Guidi added.  "Now, they will see us
    take that quality to a speed and performance level as yet
    unattained by other global carriers."


         Sprint is a diversified international telecommunications
    company with more than $10 billion in annual revenues and the
    United States' only nationwide all-digital, fiber-optic network.
    Its divisions provide global long distance voice, data and video
    products and services, local telephone services to more than 6
    million subscriber lines in 19 states, and cellular operations
    that serve 42 metropolitan markets and more than 50 rural service
    areas.


John D. Gretzinger      Network Engineer
Rockwell Support Team   +1.310.797.1187
+1.310.430.1761 (FAX)