Communications
Data communications infrastructure and services are critical in today's increasingly competitive marketplace, and Maryland's communications development is second to none.
Selected Major Providers of Communications Services
Verizon Maryland – Verizon Maryland is the largest provider of communications services in the state. Verizon’s fiber network infrastructure in Maryland has over 14,296 fiber sheath miles.
· Verizon FTTP and FiOS – Verizon was the first company in the telecom industry using fiber on a widespread basis to connect homes and businesses directly to the network. The new technology has made available a wide array of new products, ranging from broadband links that offer data transmission speeds far greater than anything available today to a variety of video applications, most notably Verizon FiOS TV.
· Fiber to the Premises – Verizon’s Fiber to the Premises (FTTP) network upgrade initiative uses fiber-optic cables and associated optical electronics instead of copper wire to connect a customer to the Verizon network. FTTP provides voice, data and video services and associated features while offering nearly unlimited bandwidth. It can also accommodate new broadband products and services not possible with today's copper network.
· Fiber Optic Service – Verizon FiOS (Fiber Optic Service) is the new suite of fiber-optic services over FTTP. This new network will have greater reliability and lower maintenance costs. FiOS Internet Service is available in several consumer broadband speeds: up to 5 Mbps downstream and up to 2 Mbps upstream (5 Mbps/2 Mbps), 15 Mbps/2 Mbps and 30 Mbps/15 Mbps.
· Services to Business
o Verizon Business’ Ethernet Services deliver access to corporate networks, the Internet, and network-based applications at ranges from 1 to 1,000 Mbps (Gigabit Ethernet). Verizon Business is recognized as a leader offering global Ethernet Services by the Metro Ethernet Forum, the foremost industry authority.
o Secure Gateway is a network–based suite of services that deliver advanced IP and applications to Verizon’s Private IP, IP VPN and/or Frame Relay customers by levering the intelligence and interoperability with Verizon Business’s networks. Secure Gateway offerings help customers connect private and public networks so that these networks can “talk” to each other.
o Verizon Business Contact Center Services help companies control costs associated with inbound and outbound customer communications, featuring hosted, managed and customer premise equipment (CPE)-based solutions as well as hybrid combinations of all of the above. Contact Center Solutions offer a range of Automatic Call Distributor (ACD) capabilities to manage the distribution of voice and data traffic to agents based on specific business rules and real-time priorities. This includes solutions that support traditional voice, Voice over IP, and multi-channel (multiplexing creates more than one channel from a common channel) contact management. “Web Center” enables customers to deliver voice, VoIP, Web callback, chat, e-mail, or fax through a web-based, contact-center environment. Interactive Voice Response (IVR) – Speech Services enable customers to take advantage of speech automation (speech recognition, text-to-speech, WAV capture and more) without heavy start-up costs.
o Ring Services – Call Centers and Data Centers demand a highly reliable, resilient, and flexible data transport network that can handle bandwidth demands and help control capital costs. Integrated Optical Service is the ideal solution. Robust and highly survivable, it is secure enough to transport your mission-critical voice, data, Ethernet, storage, and video applications, and powerful enough to handle various high-bandwidth applications that require LAN/WAN and SAN connectivity. Because it is a self-healing optical ring solely dedicated to the transfer of business traffic, it provides Call Center and Data Center businesses with the highest possible level of survivability in the event of a facility or a SONET-based equipment failure.
Comcast – One of the largest communications companies in the country, Comcast has a significant presence in Maryland. In addition to cable television, internet service and telephone service for residents, Comcast offers a wide variety of Ethernet services, including Ethernet network services, dedicated internet, and private line services.
Level 3 Communications – A Competitive Local Exchange Carrier, Level 3 operates one of the largest communications and internet backbones in the world. As a Tier 1 network, Level 3 sells service to organizations with large bandwidth requirements, such as telecom carriers, cable TV operators, universities, web hosting companies and to other, smaller ISPs (Tier 2 carriers).
Level 3 provides specialized services for businesses, such as VPN, metro Ethernet, voice services and Video Transport services. Level 3 offers a wide range of communications and content delivery services over its 46,000 mile intercity broadband fiber optic network.
XO Communications – A facilities-based backbone provider and one of the largest Competitive Local Exchange Carriers in the country, XO operates a nationwide OC-192 Tier 1 network. XO owns significant fiber optic network assets, including an 18,000 route-mile inter-city network and more than 9,000 route-miles within 40 major metropolitan markets. XO provides voice, data and IP services to businesses and other telecommunications companies in Maryland.
Selected Major Users of Communications Services
Major financial institutions
· Deutsche Bank Alex. Brown
· Legg Mason
· T. Rowe Price
Federal and military facilities
· Adelphi Laboratory Center (Army Research Laboratory)
· National Security Agency
· Social Security Administration
· Defense Information Systems Agency (coming in 2011)
network Maryland™
www.networkmaryland.gov
networkMaryland™ is the vision of a statewide high-speed network for public sector use. The network was created from an initiative to utilize resource shared fiber optic cable assets throughout the state to provide affordable, high-speed bandwidth to all areas of the State and to provide a cost savings to the citizens of the State of Maryland.
networkMaryland™ currently offers the following three services:
· Internet – networkMaryland™ provides communication between the Internet and its Internet Service customers.
· Statewide Government Intranet (SwGI) – SwGI is a networkMaryland™ service that provides a centralized resource for State entities to communicate with other State governmental entities and data centers.
· InterLATA Transport Services – networkMaryland™ is located in all four Local Access Transport Areas (LATAs). A LATA is a continuous geographic calling area established by a Federal Court with the divestiture of AT&T. networkMaryland's InterLATA transport service is analogous to the services provided by a long distance phone carrier.
The current network includes the core PoPs in Baltimore, Easton, College Park and Hagerstown. The network comprises a core made up of both State fiber and leased circuits that can provide a tremendous amount of bandwidth between all four LATAs in Maryland.
Maryland Broadband Cooperative / Rural Broadband Initiative
www.mdbc.us
Maryland passed the Rural Broadband Communication bill in 2006 to bring fiber optic lines to Western Maryland, Southern Maryland and the Eastern Shore. An initiative of the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development (DBED) and the regional planning councils, the Rural Broadband Initiative will build an advanced, world-class broadband network across the state. An Internet Point of Presence (PoP) will be located in each county along the new fiber line, focusing on connecting business and industrial parks. Members of the cooperative will provide “last mile” services to customers. The project is under construction in phases and is projected for completion in 2009.
Maryland Broadband Cooperative – Coverage Map
