APTN launch fibre network linking Europe with the US

Associated Press Television News (APTN) are to launch the first fibre network to link mainland European cities with the US.
The service - which has been named 'APTN Connect' - will go live on January 5 2004.
APTN Connect will provide broadcast and commercial clients with a dedicated fibre network linking eight of the world's major cities: Paris, Brussels, Rome, London, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and Washington DC. More cities, on both continents, will be added to the service during 2004. Until now, fibres have tended to link Europe to London for onpass to the US.
APTN Connect provides a two-way transmission path for high-resolution video - 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It uses 6.5 Mb of 'portable' bandwidth, which can be expanded up to 34 Mb, if required - to carry high- quality programming or content.
Broadcasters in foreign bureaux will now be able to feed video and sound directly to master control rooms in destination cities via a connection to their local APTN bureau.
Chris Stocking, APTN Director of Client Operations, said: "The major appeal of this new delivery service to customers will be the price. Clients in Europe, the UK, and the US can now access a high-quality point-to-point video network; allowing them an efficient and cost-effective alternative to satellite."
Broadcasters, advertisers, and public relations agencies will also be able to make ad-hoc bookings to feed video events instantly to newsrooms or international clients.
(GB)