CenturyTel to Acquire Qwest
Posted by Steve Fravel on Thursday, April 22, 2010 · 
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CenturyTel announced Thursday that it had reached an agreement, and would acquire Qwest Communications in a stock-swap of $10.6 billion. The merged companies would provide service in 37 states.
In 2008, CenturyTel purchased Embarq a landline services company that had been spun off by Sprint Nextel. CenturyTel will be looking for ways to enhance deployment of innovative communications products and services in the combined service areas according to the report.
Qwest Considers Applying for Stimulus Funds
Posted by Jesse Ward on Monday, February 8, 2010 · ·
Following on the heels of significant rule changes, Qwest is considering applying for the second round of broadband stimulus funds.
As you may remember, Qwest and its RBOC counterparts AT&T and Verizon, along with cable giant Comcast declined to file in the first round citing onerous requirements. Qwest was particularly deterred by a first-round rule that would not permit projects to be built within 60 miles of a city or town, even if those areas lacked broadband. The rule has since been amended in a way that motivates the regional carrier to give the stimulus program a second review. Read more
Qwest Upgrades Ethernet Backbone to 100 Gbps
Posted by Jesse Ward on Tuesday, September 8, 2009 · ·
Qwest Communications has begun upgrading its Ethernet backbone to 100 Gbps. The buildout will continue throughout 2010.
Qwest said that once the upgrade is complete, the 100 Gbps backbone will deliver service to markets where the company offers its Ethernet-based iQ Networking and QWave data networking services. Read more
Qwest Unveils 40 Mbps/20 Mbps Service
Posted by Jesse Ward on Monday, July 20, 2009 · ·
Qwest announced today that it is doubling its top Internet download speeds in some areas, a move designed to cater to the next-generation customer and keep up with competitive cable offerings.
Leveraging VDSL2, Qwest will initially roll out the service in its Denver, Tucson, Salt Lake City and Minneapolis/St. Paul markets. In the coming months, Qwest plans to introduce these services to select areas within 23 markets in New Mexico, Oregon, Utah and Washington. This technology expands on Qwest’s fiber-to-the-node (FTTN) deployment, which has reached more than 2 million customers in its local service region. Read more
Qwest Takes Long-Distance Network off the Block
Posted by Jesse Ward on Monday, June 8, 2009 · ·
Qwest announced this morning that it is retracting the sale of its long-haul network after failing to attract a sufficient bid. Its long-haul network serves as a wholesale business, carrying long-distance voice and Internet traffic for other phone carriers.
According to reports in The Wall Street Journal, Qwest was seeking $2 billion to $3 billion, but offers totaled less than $1 billion. Read more
