CityNet completes last-mile fiber optic network deployed through sewer system

Oct. 11, 2001

Oct. 11, 2001--CityNet Telecommunications, a provider of last-mile broadband infrastructure, announced the completion of what it claims to be the first dark-fiber, all-optical network, bridging the last-mile in the City of Albuquerque.

CityNet Telecommunications, a provider of last-mile broadband infrastructure, announced the completion of what it claims to be the first dark-fiber, all-optical network, bridging the "last-mile" in the City of Albuquerque.

A breakthrough in telecommunications and high-speed network access, the completion of CityNet's project gives more than 1,000 business tenants in 21 high-rise buildings simultaneous access to a state-of-the-art, all-fiber optical broadband network. No company has ever built a last-mile network that provides access to so many buildings at once, all through a unique pathway -- the city's sewer system. CityNet expects to link six more buildings onto the Albuquerque network within a few months.

In just four months, CityNet installed 4.16 miles of special conduit and fiber optic cable manufactured by strategic partner Alcatel. Using the CityNet's high-tech robot, SAM (Sewer Access Module), the company installed the fiber optic network ring through sewer pipes directly into the basements of buildings in the heart of Albuquerque's central business district.

The completion of the Albuquerque last-mile ring demonstrates how to quickly close the gap between all of the long haul and metro "beltway" cable put in the ground to date and thousands of end-user customers. For enterprise and business customers, it shows how true all-optical high-speed access could quickly become available, enabling greater speed, services, and competitive choice. And for cities, it illustrates how to provide businesses with communications that can spur economic growth -- without destroying costly city streets or creating traffic snarls.

In addition to Albuquerque, CityNet has signed sewer license/access agreements with eight other cities. Last-mile projects are already underway or set to begin soon in Indianapolis and Omaha. Dallas, Fort Worth, Pittsburgh, Scottsdale, St. Paul, and Vienna, Austria have all signed agreements, and negotiations are underway with more than 20 more cities here and abroad.

CityNet pays the city a percentage of its gross revenue generated from leasing the network to carriers and broadband service providers.

About CityNet Telecommunications, Inc.:

CityNet Telecommunications builds last-mile broadband infrastructure. For more information, visit www.citynettelecom.com.