CityNet Runs 'Last-Mile' Fiber Net Through Albuquerque Sewers

ALBUQUERQUE, NM, Oct. 3 -- CityNet Telecommunications said that it had completed what it calls the world's first dark-fiber, all-optical network, bridging the "last-mile" in the city of Albuquerque.
The project gives more than 1,000 business tenants in 21 high-rise buildings simultaneous access to an all-fiber optical broadband network. No company has ever built a last-mile network that provides access to so many buildings at once, all through a unique pathway, the city's sewer system. CityNet expects to link six more buildings onto the Albuquerque network within a few months.

CityNet installed 4.16 miles of special conduit and fiber optic cable from Alcatel using the CityNet's high-tech robot, SAM (Sewer Access Module). The company installed the fiber optic network ring through sewer pipes directly into the basements of buildings in the heart of Albuquerque's central business district.

"The historic completion of this project means that Albuquerque now enjoys one of the most 'wired' business districts in the country," said Albuquerque Mayor Jim Baca. "CityNet has given the City of Albuquerque a powerful economic development tool to attract and retain businesses downtown."