CenturyTel Upgrades LightCore Fiber Network, Adds High-Bandwidth Services

LightCore, a wholly owned subsidiary of COMPTEL sponsor CenturyTel Inc., the seventh largest local exchange carrier in the United States, announced it has upgraded its fiber backbone, which runs more than 14,700 route miles across 17 states.

The new backbone, lit with ROADM technology from Fujitsus FLASHWAVE 7500, was completed at the end of August. The upgrade enables CenturyTel to offer new highbandwidth services, including OC48, OC192 and protected and unprotected wavelengths in 2.5gbps and 10gbps. It also now offers Ethernet in the varying speeds up to 10 gigE.

The company offers longhaul Ethernet over fiber and can offer local Ethernet over copper through its ILEC and CLEC facilities, according to Steve Hartman, vice president of carrier sales for CenturyTel.

Many wholesale customers are looking for a stable, reliable provider that has the footprint of an ILEC as well as the cost savings of a CLEC. And, we are uniquely positioned in both business areas, says Hartman. He added that the companys focus is on providing fiber transport services to smaller cities and rural areas.

CenturyTel Inc. www.centurytel.com
Fujitsu Network Communications Inc. http://us.fujitsu.com/telecom
LightCore www.lightcore.net