Nextlink Expands Footprint, Will Act as Last-Mile for XO

By Tara Seals

Nextlink Wireless Inc. has launched broadband wireless in Atlanta, Chicago and Houston, and said announced that CLEC parent company XO will use Nextlink services as an alternative last-mile solution within the Nextlink nine-city footprint.

Nextlink holds spectrum in the 75 largest U.S. markets. Todays launch extends the companys footprint to nine markets, including Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami, San Diego, Tampa and Washington, D.C.

Nextlink services include broadband wireless access at speeds ranging from T1 up to OC 12 over licensed spectrum in the 28GHz-to-31GHz range. Nextlinks point-to-point and point-to-multipoint solutions work through line-of-sight connections of up to seven miles.

XO will avoid leasing circuits from the RBOCs by using Nextlinks services where available as a last-mile access method to deliver dedicated Internet access and metropolitan and inter-city Ethernet solutions to businesses at speeds of 10mbps and 100mbps. XO will particularly target businesses that require higher speed broadband access but are constrained by the bandwidth limitations of copper, or lack direct access to fiber.

Nextlink also targets the mobile backhaul space, and offers leased-line replacements to enterprise and governments directly.

Todays announcement demonstrates that we are on track to meet our previously announced objective to launch services in twelve markets this year. It also illustrates the potential of fixed wireless services for applications beyond mobile backhaul, said Nextlink CEO Bob Beran. XOs use of our broadband wireless solution for last-mile access and middle-mile leased line replacements validates the need for alternative access solutions in the carrier marketplace.

XO Communications www.xo.com
Nextlink Wireless Inc. www.nextlink.com