Network Roundup: Level 3, Windstream, AT&T

As Christmas looms and the schools let out, here’s a quick rundown of some news from the network side of things so far this week:

Level 3 added another satellite provider to its list of customers this week.  They’l be providing a fully meshed MPLS network for Globalstar, hooking up ground stations around the world.  Among other things, Globalstar plans to use Level 3’s deep US fiber for its terrestrial low power service deployment next year.  Since closing the tw telecom deal some 8 weeks ago now, things have been relatively quiet over at Level 3 – at least it seem so from the outside.

Windstream has landed a contract for some meteorological bandwidth.  They picked up a 5 year, multi-million dollar contract with the National Weather Service providing 100Mbps Ethernet pipes and internet access to NWS offices around the country.  The NWS is part of the NOAA, which is part of the Department of Commerce, which makes this a nice federal contract for Windstream.  With all the big data modeling we see weather services play with these days, you’d think 100Mbps would be the bare minimum though.

And AT&T is one step closer to a bigger presence south of the border.  Mexico’s telecom watchdog, the Federal Institute of Telecommunications, has signed off on its purchase of Iusacell, with conditions.  The deal would make AT&T the third largest mobile provider in Mexico, with the prospect for further inorganic growth given the plans of the dominant provider America Movil to sell off enough assets to satisfy regulators.  Other providers, both local and international, are also looking at the Mexican market following the reforms put in place earlier this year.  But somehow, we all know Carlos Slim Helu will come out on top, right?

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Categories: Federal contracts · Internet Backbones · Mergers and Acquisitions · Wireless