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Qwest to invest up to USD300 million on FTTN (USA)

  • November 4th, 2007
  • 2:30 pm

Qwest Communications International has revealed plans to spend up to USD300 million to roll out its fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) network to an additional 1.5 million homes. ‘As we look to the future, we’re convinced that increased bandwidth to our customers is critical to our long term success,’ said Qwest chief executive Ed Mueller on the company’s third-quarter earnings call. Qwest says the new network will deliver more than 20Mbps in bandwidth to households, although it also believes it will be able to double these speeds. Mueller was appointed Qwest’s new CEO in August, he has since been reviewing the company’s businesses. The announcement of an increase in CAPEX on FTTN build-out is his first major initiative since taking office.

   

 

 

Qwest Q3 net profit hits USD 2 bln on tax benefit (USA)

  • October 31st, 2007
  • 2:33 pm

US operator Qwest reported third-quarter net profit of USD 2.046 billion, up from USD 246 million a year earlier thanks to a tax benefit worth USD 2.149 billion. Revenues fell 1.5 percent to USD 3.434 billion, hurt by a slowdown in business sales and lower wholesale revenues. EBITDA improved to USD 1.151 billion from USD 1.134 billion a year ago thanks to a 6 percent drop in operating expenses. That excludes a one-time charge of USD 353 million for settling shareholder lawsuits. Capex in the year to date reached USD 1.164 billion, and Qwest expects the annual total to match 2006. It has authrosied an additional USD 300 million spending on raising broadband speeds. Its access line base fell to 13.032 million at the end of September from 14.037 million a year earlier. Broadband subscribers increased by 111,000 in the quarter to a total 2.516 million.

   

AT&T wins mammoth IBM deal (USA)

  • October 4th, 2007
  • 1:47 pm

AT&T has signed a five-year contract to provide telecoms and network management services to IBM. The deal could generate up to US$5 billion for AT&T and builds on a previous relationship between the carrier and the chipmaker.

Meanwhile, AT&T says it will take a $60 million charge this year for technology services procured from IBM but adds that neither the financial hit nor revenues accruing from the new management deal will affect its fiscal 2007 results.
 
Back in the United States, lawmakers on Capitol Hill have asked AT&T and its peers to outline the extent of their “co-operation” with federal agencies in terms of domestic spying and surveillance activities.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee this week required the carrier  – along with its rivals Qwest and Verizon –  to explain in detail how government agencies approached them to “request” access to the subscriber records of US citizens.

Qwest claims to have rejected such federal demands but the other major national US operators are believed to have voluntarily complied with illegal government agency “requests” without being compelled to do so by legal warrant.
 
“If reports about the government surveillance programme are accurate, Congress has a duty to inquire about whether such a programme violates the Constitution, as well as consumer protection and privacy laws,” says the head of the committee, Rep. John Dingell.

He adds that the committee plans to “examine the difficult position of the phone companies who may have been asked by the government to violate the privacy of their customers without the assurance of liability protections.”

   

 

Qwest inks multi-year, multimillion-dollar data networking deal with BJ’s Wholesale Club (USA)

  • September 14th, 2007
  • 12:31 pm

Qwest Communications International has signed a multi-year, multimillion-dollar data networking deal with BJ’s Wholesale Club, for the provision of seamless communications at all club locations. Denver-based Qwest will connect all BJ’s club locations with Qwest iQ Networking services, the operator’s wide-area network (WAN) solution. Qwest’s nationwide IP network would allow BJ’s to eventually combine its voice and data applications on a single private network, enabling it to transfer large amounts of complex data over a secure and reliable network. BJ’s Wholesale Club currently operates 175 clubs and 99 gas stations in 16 Eastern states.

   

 

 

 

 

Qwest announces plan to quadruple fibre capacity

  • July 17th, 2007
  • 3:25 pm

Qwest has announced it is quadrupling the capacity of its nationwide fibre-optic network to enable it to handle increased network traffic and go after contracts with internet-intensive firms and government agencies. ‘This is an upgrade of an existing asset, more like a routine maintenance,’ said the operator’s vice president of product management, Eric Bozich. Although Qwest has continually updated its internet-based network architecture, ‘this is really the first time we’ve gone into the long-haul network,’ he added. Upgrade work began in late 2006 and is scheduled for completion by the year end. It focuses on the northeast, southeast and on areas along the west coast, Bozich said. The Qwest VP declined to put a price tag on the project but said that all work on ‘major thoroughfares’ had been completed, with work on other routes now being done. Upon completion, Qwest’s backbone capacity will have increased from 10Gbps to 40Gbps.

   

Qwest asks for increased rural broadband funds

  • June 30th, 2007
  • 9:01 am

Reports from the US say that Qwest is asking federal regulators to move approximately USD500 million from a wireless subsidy fund to support high speed internet projects in rural areas across the country. The telco pitched the request yesterday to FCC officials as part of an effort to reform the USD7 billion Universal Service Fund. Qwest – whose 14-state territory includes large rural areas – has commented before that it feels it hasn’t received a fair share of funds to cover the high cost of rural area phone service.

   

Qwest chairman, CEO Notebaert to leave

  • June 12th, 2007
  • 2:11 pm

Qwest Communications International has announced that Richard C Notebaert, chairman and CEO, will retire in both positions upon the selection of a successor, for which a formal search is under way. The company plans no changes in strategy or operations as a result of the announcement and no timetable has been set for naming a new chairman and CEO. Notebaert will spend more time with family and focus on other commitments.

   

Five telcos win government contract

  • June 2nd, 2007
  • 6:25 am

AT&T, Level 3 Communications, Qwest Communications, Sprint Nextel and Verizon have been awarded a federal telecoms contract worth up to USD20 billion over ten years, reports the Associated Press. Under the so-called ‘Networx Enterprise’ contract the five firms will compete with each other to win business from agencies looking to improve their communications services. The award follows a similar contract in late March in which Qwest AT&T and Verizon emerged as the winners of a potentially much larger USD48 billion ten-year deal. Sprint was omitted from the earlier contract so its inclusion this time is seen as critical; the firm has been supplying telecoms services to federal agencies for 18 years.

   

US awards $20b contract to 5 companies

  • June 1st, 2007
  • 8:32 am

Five companies, AT&T, Level 3 Communications, Qwest Communications, Sprint Nextel and Verizon, were awarded a US federal telecommunications contract worth up to $20 billion over 10 years.

The winners of the so-called Networx Enterprise contract must now compete with each other to win business from agencies looking to improve their voice, data and other telecom services.

It’s the second telecom contract awarded by the US General Services Administration in about two months.

In late March, Qwest, AT&T, and Verizon were winners of the much larger Networx Universal contract, the government’s largest telecom contract ever awarded.

That deal is potentially worth up to $48 billion over a decade.

For Sprint, the only bidder shut out from the Universal contract, getting on the Enterprise contract was critical. The company had been providing telecom services to federal agencies for the last 18 years.

GSA officials said they expect agencies to spend roughly $20 billion over the life of both contracts, or less than one-third of what’s allowed.

Universal will require companies to not only maintain current agencies’ needs, such as supporting older network systems, but also will offer advanced services, such as Internet-based telephone service, network security and video and Web conferencing, to as many as 135 agencies operating in 190 countries.

Enterprise has far fewer requirements than the much larger Universal contract and is only available to agencies domestically.

However, John C. Johnson, GSA’s assistant commissioner for integrated technology services, said the smaller contract will offer lower prices than the Universal contract.

   

 

 

Qwest Launches EV-DO Rev. A Service

  • May 24th, 2007
  • 11:34 am

Qwest Communications International began offering its new EV-DO Rev. A mobile broadband service. With a Qwest Wireless Mobile Broadband access card inserted in a laptop computer, and a subscription to one of three Qwest Wireless Mobile Broadband plans, customers are able to connect to the Internet at broadband-like speeds when on the Sprint Power Vision network.

Qwest Mobile Broadband customers can choose from one of three plans based on their megabit (MB) upload and download needs: 500 MB per month, 600 MB per month, or the Unlimited plan. Monthly plan prices start at $69.99 per month, plus $49.99 for the Qwest Mobile Broadband Card with a 2-year commitment. Customers who purchase Qwest Mobile Broadband service in addition to Qwest High-Speed Internet Service are eligible to receive a $20 discount on Qwest Mobile Broadband plans. Qwest High-Speed Internet customers with a 2- or 3-year term commitment are also eligible for a $50 rebate on the Qwest Mobile Broadband Card.