Copying and distributing are prohibited without permission of the publisher
Janzen: new network build is no pipe dream
01 February 1999
Williams Communications is once again building a fibre-optic network, as it aims to become a major player in the US wholesale long-distance market. It re-entered this market in January 1998 on the expiry of a three-year non-compete clause. The president & CEO Howard Janzen talks to Mark Holmes about the operator's plans.
Williams Communications is aggressively targeting the wholesale
market in the US. It's nation-wide 32,000 mile Multi-Service
Broadband Network is scheduled for completion in the year 2000. It
will connect to over 125 cities. The company is also preparing for
an IPO later in the year, where it hopes to raise between $500-750
million. The sales proceeds will be reinvested in the build-out of
the network.
The company has a unique background. It is a subsidiary of
Williams, one of America's largest transporters of natural gas.
Williams Communications has been able to exploit the advantage of
having rights of way on Williams nation-wide pipeline network to
build out its fibre network. Williams first used decommissioned
pipelines to house fibre optic cables in 1985, under its previous
banner WilTel.
This made it one of the first players to deploy a nation-wide
fibre- optic network. The original fibre-optic network was
eventually sold to...
Access to this content is denied because you are not logged in. Please login to view this content
Already have an account?
Subscribe
Subscribers have unlimited access to all current and archive content. Start your
subscription today - click on the button below.
Free trial
Taking a free trial will give you access to the current issue for two weeks (excluding
some surveys and articles). Start your free trial today.
