PSINet Adds European and North American Fiber Optic Capacity

PSINet Inc. completed a long-term acquisition program of Indefeasible Rights of Use (IRUs) in STM-1 (155 Mbps) fiber optic capacity from multiple sources, stretching its network over 21,000 km and configuring multiple rings linking 30 of the largest cities in Europe.

The company will initially build and operate three interlocking rings at the STM-1 level, which will replace its current E-3 (34 Mbps) infrastructure in Europe. Each STM-1 segment may be expanded to STM-4 (620 Mbps) or higher. By the end of 1999, the new fiber network is expected to link existing PSINet operations in the following cities: London, Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris, Dusseldorf, Berlin, Munich, Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Geneva, and Zurich.

In 2000, PSINet will add additional cities to the network, which will be configured with multiple paths to avoid congestion and single points of failure. The new cities include: Antwerp, Copenhagen, Lyon, Marseille, Strasbourg, Hannover, Hamburg, Cologne, Milan, Turin, Luxembourg, Monaco, Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Stockholm, Gothenburg, Rotterdam, and Vienna.

The company also acquired an IRU for 20 strands of fiber optic cable from Starcom Service Corp. to increase network capacity on PSINet's North American western corridor and link to other PSINet fiber capacity. On the US side of the border, PSINetworks Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of PSINet, will own the IRU.