Level 3 Vyvx Connects The Super Bowl

While you are busy dipping chips in salsa, screaming at the refs, cheering the plays and rolling on the floor laughing at the commercials, there is one thing you won’t have to think about on Super Bowl Sunday. That’s how the broadcast is getting from there to you. It’s not magic. It’s a carefully engineered service called Level 3 Vyvx VenueNet+

VenueNet+ is a bundled service for special event broadcasters. It’s already installed in every major-league stadium in the United States. That includes Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The fiber optic network is lit, the termination equipment installed, and everything is managed by dedicated Vyvx staff.

So, what’s Vyvx and why would you want to order VenueNet+ service? If you’ve ever been involved in a broadcast “remote”, radio or TV, you know that it can be a hit or miss proposition. You need to bring your own transmitter truck and hope you can get the antenna over any obstacles between you and the station or skyward to the “bird.” Otherwise, you need to install a permanent antenna or contract with the phone company for line service (radio) to get the broadcast out of where you are and to the studio intact.

In the age of HD television, this gets even dicier. There is massive bandwidth involved in providing a clean signal that can display high speed action without turning the picture into pixel mush. Can you afford glitches and maybe an all-out outage on game day? Ha! Last year’s Super Bowl was viewed by more than 110 million people, few of whom are in a mood to be patient with technical issues. With multi-million dollar budgets involved in giving you 30 second commercials of clever animal antics that you’ll talk about for weeks, can you afford even a second’s dead air? Nope. Whatever you lose you’ll never get back. There are no re-dos on the Super Bowl.

This is were Level 3 steps in to make life easy. Forget trying to raise an antenna mast or get a leased line connected. The Level 3 fiber network is already in-place at the venue and ready to transport your streaming video. The fiber network has been set up to transport high-definition video optimized for sports events. Vyvx supports HD-SDI, SD-SDI, DVB-ASI and MPEG2/4 and JPEG 2000 encoding. Some venues even support uncompressed HD video. In addition to video encoding and transport, VenueNet+ also provides high speed Internet and telephone service.

The VenueNet+ panel connects to a Level 3 Gateway that gives your video access to the Level 3 MPLS video and data network cloud that can deliver HD video with more than three times the bandwidth currently available by satellite. The fiber network connects to Level 3’s television operation center, broadcast networks, teleports to international and cruise ship destinations, and Level 3 CDN (Content Delivery Network) streaming. Once you hand the raw video to Level 3, they get it where it needs to go, properly encoded.

Level 3 has been delivering the Super Bowl for nearly 25 years. It’s also carries the pre-game and post-game feeds to NFL operations centers in Mt. Laurel, N.J., Culver City, California and NFL Network master control facilities in Atlanta.

The Super Bowl is certainly a showcase for the quality and reliability that Level 3 Vyvx video services can provide. It’s perhaps the best advertising they can have to demonstrate the capability of fiber optic video transport. Even if you are not involved in the Super Bowl or anything of that magnitude, Vyvx can make your life easier for video transport from stadiums and event venues. They’ll get your video to from here to there with the highest quality and least fuss. If you have a project in the works or just want to compare services with what you have now, get pricing and options for video transport and related services now.

Handle Big Data With Big Bandwidth

We are said to be entering the age of big data. Just what is big data, why is it different than any other type of data, and what are the ramifications of having big data on our networks?

Big data is exactly what it sounds like. It refers to datasets that are so huge that they overwhelm normal database management tools. We’re not talking megabytes or gigabytes here. Those are easily handled by off the shelf tools. Big data is terabytes, petabytes, exabytes and zettabytes. If you don’t know what those are, just know that each named step up in size represents an increase of 1,000 times.

Where is all this big data coming from? It’s not the sort of thing you generate typing on your PC. Big data comes from computer generated simulations, process and financial modeling, research projects and sensor data acquisition and processing. Computer animation and video processing in high definition and beyond can spit out terabytes faster than you know what to do with them.

What is all this big data going to do to your network, especially your WAN network? Check out this video from Level 3 Communications to get a feel for what’s on the way and how you can deal with it...



As you can see, WAN bandwidth is likely to be the big choke point for big data. It’s because we’re used to dealing with relatively small files and modest applications such as video conferencing and VoIP. We're also used to handling incremental growth in bandwidth needs by scaling up bandwidth services we are already using.

Big data is going to change that. Instead of incremental change, we’re talking step changes. Bonding more T1 lines or moving up to a DS3 service isn’t going to do the trick. You’ll need fiber, and likely a fiber optic solution that has a lot of room for growth.

Fortunately, there a lot more fiber options available today than even a short while ago. These include Ethernet over Fiber to 1 Gbps, 10 Gbps and even 40 Gbps. Carrier core networks are now moving to 100 Gbps as quickly as they can. Other options include wavelength services over Dense Wavelength Division Modulation (DWDM) at up to 10 Gbps per wavelength and dark fiber that you can light yourself.

Are you feeling the pinch of too little WAN bandwidth right now, or see it coming in the near future? If so, this is a good time to check out your options from carriers that have the capacity to support your big data network needs. Get competitive fiber optic bandwidth options and prices for whatever capacity your business needs.

Vyvx and Genesis Offer Worldwide Video Transport

If you are involved in video production, distribution, news reporting or TV sportscasting, you have an immediate and ongoing need for video transport services. Satellites have long been used for this purpose, but worldwide fiber optic networks have benefits that include almost unlimited bandwidth, low latency and availability for many popular venues. The merger of Level 3 and Global Crossing has combined their video transport operations into an impressive array of service options.

Level 3’s Emmy Award winning video service is called Vyvx. They offer broadcast fiber services, managed video network services, teleport and satellite services and venue services. Their venue service, called VenueNet, offers dedicated access points at every major league stadium in the US. In addition to accessing the Vyvx fiber optic network, Level 3 provides high quality video encoding, Internet, telephone access and dedicated support for each venue.

The heart of the Vyvx system is a IP MPLS network with extensive reach. What MPLS brings to the table is inherent VPN security, the ability to reroute video connections on the fly if a fault occurs in the network, and rapid set up and tear down of video connections. You can plan ahead to book the service you need or get a connection at the last minute through the Vyvx 24/7 booking center. This is more difficult to do with limited bandwidth satellite services and unheard of with dedicated point to point fiber connections over traditional switched circuit telecom networks.

Within the last year, Level 3 has added uncompressed high definition video transport services between Los Angeles, Washington D.C. and New York City at 1.5 and 3.0 Gigabits per second. This offers video producers and broadcasters the opportunity to deliver live video feeds in their native, pristine form without any compression.

Another Vyvx service is Managed Video Network Service (MVNS). This is a fully managed distribution system that provides both fiber optic connectivity and the necessary equipment. With MVNS, you can distribute video feeds to multiple destinations using a web-based booking system. These feeds can be broadcasts or prerecorded content.

With the acquisition of Global Crossing, Level 3 has picked up Global Crossing’s Genesis Solutions, a formerly competing video transport service. Genesis offers global HD video over IP transmission, portable bandwidth that you can book as you need it, and point to multipoint access that can be set up immediately.

Global Crossing’s converged IP network connects 700 cities in 70 countries worldwide. The Genesis Solutions uses that network to offer specialized managed video services with compressed and uncompressed transmission options. Dedicated bandwidth is available in any increment between 2 Mbps and 270 Mbps. MPEG 2/4 compression equipment is available for encoding, decoding transcoding and compression to deliver the desired bit rate and format needed.

As you can see, there is a lot of compatibility between Level 3’s Vyvx and Global Crossing’s Genesis. The combination of the two networks adds capacity and extends the reach of the combined system to every major broadcast market in the world via fiber optic transmission. There are also eleven satellite teleports for those odd locations where fiber still doesn’t go.

Do you need full time or occasional video transport services for broadcast or program distribution? If so, don’t assume that the cost is prohibitive or that there isn’t the capacity available for the locations you have in mind. Level 3 Vyvx Solutions has both the capability and experience to handle whatever you need and whenever you need it. Check prices and options for video transport services now to confirm that your project will meet schedule and budget.

The Coming Level 3 Global Crossing Juggernaut

If you believe that the future of business is high bandwidth connections to clouds, customers and suppliers worldwide, then the next step toward this future is the melding of Level 3 Communications and Global Crossing. Combine their assets and you have a network map that spans the world.

Level 3 Communications is actually purchasing Global Crossing for $2 billion. When this merger is complete, their combined fiber optic assets will reach 70 countries on 3 continents.

Level 3 has an extensive long haul network with metro fiber in many US cities. Their transatlantic undersea fiber connects to a European network to link the USA and major European cities with low latency fiber connections. Level 3 is a major player in the high speed financial trading space, as well as providing other high bandwidth fiber services for global business needs.

Another strength of Level 3 is video transport. Their Vyvx service carries both high definition and standard video programming for studios and networks. For the highest in transmission feed quality, Level 3 Vyvx offers uncompressed high definition video transport services between Los Angeles, Washington D.C. and New York City at 1.5 and 3.0 Gbps. The Level 3 Content Delivery Network (CDN) has 35 strategically placed cashing locations to keep the content as near the customer as possible.

What Global Crossing does is complement rather than compete with Level 3’s US/Europe network. Global Crossing has over 100,000 route miles of fiber optic cable installed around the world. This includes US and Europe network fiber that overlaps Level 3 to some extent. But it also brings trans-pacific undersea fiber and connections to Japan, China, India, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines. Connected to its North America network is an extensive fiber optic networking serving the major cities in South America.

Global Crossing is true to its name. Their fiber really does span the world. Add Global Crossing’s network to the Level 3 network and you have extensive connectivity throughout North America, South America, Europe, Australia and Asia, with some facilities extending to the Middle East and Africa.

What does this mean for you, the business user? It certainly means more availability of converged IP network services worldwide and specialty services, such as low latency routes and video transport. Both Level 3 and Global Crossing have been serving major enterprise customers and carriers. They’ve got the expertise and facilities to accomplish whatever you will ever need in the way of connectivity.

Level 3, especially, also caters to smaller and medium businesses in the US. Their T1, bonded T1 and Ethernet over Copper solutions offer dedicated bandwidth at very reasonable prices. For companies that need to link multiple locations, Level 3 MPLS can create a company network that spans the country and extends to include offices, factories and warehouses worldwide.

Fiber optic networks are enjoying a new renaissance, as businesses move to cloud processes and automation that increases employee productivity. You see more fiber going into the ground in both major cities and rural areas. If you’ve been affiliated with Level 3 or Global Crossing, your connection capabilities are about to be increased significantly.

If you are looking to increase your connection speeds, you’ll probably be pleasantly surprised by the wide range of services available and the cost reductions that have come about in recent years from these and other competitive carriers. Don’t assume that you can’t get or afford higher bandwidth, even fiber, until you get prices and availability for business bandwidth services appropriate to your facility locations.



Note: Image of Earth from over the Atlantic Ocean courtesy of the U.S. Government on Wikimedia Commons

What Is Lowering Gigabit Ethernet Bandwidth Pricing?

If you have recently gone out for quotes on Gigabit Ethernet bandwidth, you may have been surprised by how much prices have dropped the last few years. That’s one pleasant surprise for organizations that need higher levels of business bandwidth for cloud computing access, e-commerce, medical image transmission, video distribution and the like. But is this for real and what is driving these prices lower?

Yes, it’s for real alright. In fact, bandwidth services across the board can be had for a fraction of what you may have paid when you signed your last service contract. That applies to everything from T1 lines to DS3 connections and on up through OCx SONET/SDH fiber optic bandwidth. It also includes competing services like Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet and 10 Gig E. Plus multi-location cloud networks like MPLS. They’ve all dropped in price. But the cost per Mbps is often most dramatic for Ethernet services.

What’s behind the lowered prices? Two factors can be credited. First is the move from traditional switched circuit transport technologies to packet switched IP networks and services. Second is new levels of competition.

Both legacy service providers, the telephone companies, and new competitive carriers have built-out extensive networks based on IP or a networking technology that embraces IP, such as MPLS or Multi-Protocol Label Switching. You can thank the Internet for that. The enormous volume of equipment and services to support near-universal demand access to the Internet has decreased the price of Ethernet and IP networking to a fraction of what it costs for competing technologies. The entire world is going to packet switched networks based on Internet Protocol.

When every LAN is running Ethernet, it just makes sense that the most efficient way to connect all those local area networks is with an Ethernet connection. Ethernet over Copper lets you do this from typically 3 Mbps on up to around 50 Mbps. Ethernet over Fiber is good for 100 Mbps Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, and even 10 Gigabit Ethernet. Gigabit Ethernet is becoming a requirement for medium and large companies depending heavily on high productivity enterprise software or distributing media content, such as video. At the very highest levels, even 10 GigE is no longer out of the question.

The move from legacy telco technologies to IP based fiber optic networks has brought new players into the marketplace for WAN networking services. These competitive carriers have built their own regional or national fiber optic networks and established colocation facilities and points of presence in most major cities, even some mid-size cities. They can often bring their own fiber into business locations and bypass the telephone companies completely. Now instead of one option for service, you may have several or more even at the Gigabit Ethernet level. That spells competition and competition leads to lowered prices.

Could your organization benefit from the recent cost reductions in high bandwidth networks services? Don’t shake your head no until you check current prices and availability for Gigabit Ethernet bandwidth services and other bandwidth offerings. At the very least, your next service lease could cost you less than the one you have now.

40 Gbps Bandwidth Available For Business

XO Communications has upped the ante on business bandwidth options by making two 40 Gbps network services available in all major metropolitan markets of its nationwide fiber optic footprint. Listen to Randy Nicklas, Chief Technology Officer of XO Communications, explain the advantages of the new 40 Gbps wavelength and IP transit services:



You may listen to the interview without leaving this page by using this built-in audio player:


Clearly, we’re entering a new and exciting era of very high bandwidth applications for businesses as well as service providers, such as Cable companies. High speed financial trading demands the lowest latencies possible. You snooze for a millisecond, you lose. This pushes the requirements for both transport speed between cities and also minimal time delays going through the routing and switching equipment. Content delivery networks may be less latency sensitive than the financial trading networks, but they have an insatiable need for bandwidth. There is no upper limit in sight as of this writing. Surely 40 Gbps is just a incremental level on the way to 100 Gbps and beyond. Why? Because everybody wants the video they want to see when they want to see it, and high definition video has massive bandwidth demands. Every Internet user on Earth couldn’t possibly send enough email, visit enough web sites, or update their software often enough to match even the current demand for video transport. This is why Cable TV companies and other video distributors are moving away from the public Internet to privately run content delivery networks to meet their demands for bandwidth and stability. Is your company involved in video production or distribution, or perhaps financial services? If so, you certainly have demands for high levels of wide area networking bandwidth at reasonable prices. Other business users may not be pushing the technology limits just yet, although getting the best prices on fiber optic bandwidth is equally important. For all of these situations, you can find highly competitive fiber optic bandwidth pricing from XO Communications and other top tier providers through our GigaPackets bandwidth service and Telarus expert consultants.