February 24, 2009
Covad Deploys Nationwide MPLS Backbone and Capacity UpgradesBy Anshu Shrivastava, TMCnet Contributing Editor Covad Communications said that it has completed a nationwide multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) deployment and network capacity upgrade that will enable its partners to deliver advanced video, voice and data services.
The upgrades include metro optical rings with up to OC-192 (10 Gbps) capacity. According to company officials, this latest announcement will help Covad (News - Alert) and its wholesale partners to meet the needs of small businesses and distributed enterprises.
Officials said that both in terms of network efficiency and management, MPLS provides a significant improvement over automated teller machine (ATM).
With the addition of MPLS backbone, Covad expects to provide Quality of Service (QoS) capabilities that can be customized for real-time applications—voice and video.
“Businesses are increasingly using broadband to deploy IP-based services to reduce costs and to increase productivity,” said William Ferriauolo, senior vice president and general manager of Covad Wholesale.
He said that the new MPLS infrastructure will allow the company’s partners to deliver revenue-generating, value-added services on a national broadband network that is competitive with what the very largest carriers can offer.
Covad Wholesale customers include prominent companies like Sprint (News - Alert), Verizon, AT&T, and EarthLink and also regional customers and smaller nationwide carriers.
“Covad continues to move forward on its commitment to building a Tier 1 carrier network our partners can leverage to deliver advanced revenue-generating services,” said Young-Sae Song, vice president of marketing of Covad Wholesale.
Covad said that it plans to announce specific new services when they are closer to availability.
Anshu Shrivastava is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of Anshu’s articles, please visit her columnist page. Edited by Stefania Viscusi |