FTV and GST Forge $180 Million Fiber Deal

FTV Communications LLC (FTV) is swapping fibers on its 1,714 West Coast network route for fibers on a 745-mile GST Telecommunications Inc. network segment. FTV is also purchasing $30 million worth of dark fiber from GST on a 715-mile route from Sacramento to Portland.

The deal "vastly" expands GST's network backbone and adds redundancy, the carrier says, adding that it would cost GST more than $150 million to build a route identical to that acquired from FTV. FTV's network segment connects Portland, Boise, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles, while GST's 745-mile segment connects Los Angeles to Sacramento. The Sacremento-Portland route is under construction by GST and Pacific Fiber Link.

FTV is jointly owned by Enron Communications, Montana Power's Touch America communications subsidiary, and Williams Communications. The acquired coastal routes provide redundancy for Williams' western network, the carrier says, adding that it also extends network access into new markets, including Eugene, OR, and the California cities of Bakersfield, Fresno, San Jose, Sacramento, and Oakland.