Level 3, RCN Undergo Joint Expansion

RCN Corp. has reached joint construction agreements with Level 3 Communications Inc. in several markets in which the companies will share the cost of constructing their respective fiber optic networks. The news follows a deal announced last month through which RCN purchased cross-country network capacity from Level 3. The latest agreements will allow RCN to deploy additional network in Boston and New York faster and at a lower cost.

Specifically, RCN announced it had expanded its master agreement with Level 3 to add network serving the Boston market through deployment of two new conduits running through the Boston-area city of Cambridge. RCN and Level 3 are also conducting joint trench work in the Upper East Side, Midtown, and Downtown areas of Manhattan, comprising approximately 35 miles of new fiber optic network deployment in that market. Manhattan is one of RCN's most active markets, with more than 600 buildings currently wired for the company's phone, cable, and Internet services.