Qwest Communications announced it has upgraded its national fiber optic network with ultralong-haul (ULH) technology, increasing its broadband capacity and geographic availability of ultrahigh-speed services. Combined with Qwest's metro Ethernet or private line services, the upgrade provides connection speeds scalable from 1 to 40 Gb/s. The company said its QWave services, provided via the ULH network, offer customers an alternative to purchasing or leasing dark fiber. "Because Qwest's existing national network is a newer, high-performance, high-capacity network, the move to ULH has been fast, efficient and relatively surgical from a capital investment standpoint," said Pieter Poll, Qwest's chief technology officer. "We are simply upgrading existing fiber routes and expanding our nationwide points of presence."