Qwest Communications (NYSE: Q) announced today that its network infrastructure is in place and ready to provide services for the Republican National Convention (RNC). The event is expected to be one of the most technologically advanced conventions ever, and Qwest has prepared its network infrastructure to handle the massive amounts of cell phone calls, text messages, online social networking, broadcast TV, blogging, e-mail and photo uploading.
A sampling of interesting statistics on what it takes to pull off this digital convention includes:
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Qwest’s aggregate data capacity of the
network is approximately 50 billion bits per second, meaning:
- An entire HD movie could be transmitted in about two seconds;
- Over the course of the convention, a four-day period, more than half a billion (514 million) MP3s could be transmitted; and
- Using an estimate of 20 Terabytes (1 Terabyte equals 1 trillion bytes) for the Library of Congress’ print holdings, the entire collection could be transmitted in less than one hour (58.7 minutes).
- Qwest has installed video equipment with capacity to handle many simultaneous video feeds.
- Infrastructure upgrades for the convention will require approximately 229 miles of copper and coaxial cable.
- Qwest can deliver up to a Gigabyte of bandwidth via Ethernet, to any point inside the convention venue.
- There will be 10 dedicated, high-capacity video cabinets for broadcast video feeds in and outside of the convention venue.
- Qwest is installing approximately 12 miles of high-capacity fiber-optic lines – each line connected end-to-end is approximately equivalent to the tallest building in the Twin Cities, The IDS Tower, stacked 12,000 times (2,000 miles).
- The fiber-optic backbone network spans more than 138,000 route miles.
- Attendees may use up to 40 Gigabytes of Ethernet bandwidth out to the public Internet at any given time.
- The provisioning capacity that Qwest is prepared to provide includes approximately 2,500 Ethernet ports (10 Megabytes, 100 Megabytes or 1 Gigabyte) and more than 3,000 analog lines.
“As the Official Communications Provider for the Republication National Convention, we are making sure that Qwest’s network infrastructure is capable of handling the needs of the thousands of attendees expected,” said John Stanoch, Qwest president for Minnesota. “Qwest has been preparing for the convention for quite some time now, and we are looking forward to a smooth operation as substantial amounts of digital content flow in and out of the Xcel Energy Center and the entire convention complex.”
Qwest announced in March that it would serve as the Official Communications Provider for the RNC’s Sept. 1-4 event in Minneapolis-St. Paul. As the official communications provider, Qwest will be the exclusive provider of high-speed Internet as well as voice and data lines for the RNC, delegates and more than 15,000 members of the media expected to visit Minneapolis-St. Paul for the convention. Qwest also will provide hosting services and 24/7 network management and technical support.
About Qwest
Customers coast to coast turn to Qwest's industry-leading national fiber-optic network and world-class Spirit of Service to meet their communications and entertainment needs. For residential customers, Qwest’s powerful combination of award-winning high-speed Internet, home and wireless voice solutions and digital TV includes a new generation of fiber-optic Internet services. Qwest is also the choice of 95 percent of Fortune 500 companies, offering a full suite of network, data and voice services for small businesses, large businesses, government agencies and wholesale customers. Additionally, Qwest participates in Networx, the largest communications services contract in the world, and is recognized as a leader in the network services market by a leading technology industry analyst firm.
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Contacts:
Joanna Hjelmeland, 612-663-5992
joanna.hjelmeland@qwest.com
