Low Latency News

Herndon, VA (PRWeb) June 25, 2009, 2009 No longer can a trader meet their low latency requirements by just collocating in the same facility as the exchanges. The exchanges are spread out now, and so is the market data essential to successful execution of trading strategies. Traders need to find the optimal combination of space and network configuration that is central to the market data feeds and the exchanges they are trading on. That is why CFN Services is extending FiberSource Advisor® to include a Financial Services specific practice. Working with CFN Services FiberSource Advisor® to help meet low latency requirements allows Trading Firms the ability to focus resources on the trading environment, platform, messaging, algorithms and other essential key areas.  FiberSource Advisor® provides the trading firm a roadmap to optimize their network; helping plan and configure the optimal collocation sites, lowest latency networking solutions, and peace of mind achieved with full disclosure of all options available.
CFN Services is a leading ultra low latency and custom fiber optic network integrator in the financial industry; offering specific Ultra Low Latency solutions for the trading areas in a growing number of financial centers globally including Toronto, Chicago, New York/New Jersey Metro, Washington, DC, London, and Frankfurt.  CFN Services sets themselves apart from other transport vendors by offering: carrier neutrality, FiberSource Advisor® professional services, fully managed services, and the ability to design custom fiber networks.
CFN Services specializes in designing, implementing and managing high performance, low latency fiber networks. CFN is a custom fiber network provider, not simply a supplier of circuits. This is a unique advantage to a trading firm, because CFN and their FiberSource Advisor® professional services, can assist in the overall plan and development of the financial network to ensure optimization based on each firm’s unique priorities for market data delivery, trade execution, clearing data, and internal IT operations. CFN Service’s FiberSource Advisor® offering provides sophisticated financial trading firms with multiple network configuration options that fully leverage their existing network investments while providing a growth path and simultaneously lowering latency.
As a spin off of CSX Corporation, CFN Services carries on a 20-year legacy in fiber network deployment and management. CFN Services’ proprietary FiberSource® knowledge-based platform delivers access to over 500 carrier networks globally including more than 100 submarine systems; providing direct visibility into all available dark and lit fiber options, collocation facilities, and metro fiber rings for optimal deployment to any global financial center worldwide. Through FiberSource Advisor® CFN Services’ combines its vast telecom knowledge base with extensive experience in lit and dark fiber network design and implementation to provide trading firms with an edge on all aspects of MAN and WAN network deployment. CFN’s engineers articulate and provide recommendations on optimal transport architectures across technologies including WDM, SONET, Ethernet, IP, and MPLS.  FiberSource Advisor® will help traders lower latency on their existing routes, while optimizing the overall transport network inclusive of future growth plans.
As David Conrad, VP of Sales at CFN Services has observed, “ Partnering with CFN Services and utilizing FiberSource Advisor® provides trading firms the confidence and assurance that they are getting the best network solutions to meet their unique needs. With a view to all available fiber, including that of Utilities, Carriers and Dark Fiber providers; we enable our clients to rapidly sift through a typically daunting array of network options and providers to get to the optimal solution based on their specific requirements. Working with CFN as an integrator ensures carrier neutrality and eliminates the typical network operator’s bias for their own, often sub-optimal, end-to-end solutions.”
For more information about CFN Services and FiberSource Advisor® www.cfnservices.com

About CFN Services
CFN Services is a managed telecom infrastructure services company providing network services for the Enterprise, Public Sector and Carrier Markets. Specializing in network planning, deployment, and managed services, including local access transport, low latency networking, and mobile backhaul optimization, CFN Services leverages the company’s flagship FiberSource® network planning and optimization platform. CFN Services has provided network planning and deployment services to some of the leading wireless and wireline network operators including Verizon, AT&T, Level 3 and Sprint.  For more information please see http://www.cfnservices.com.
Contact: Judy May  – 703-788-6633; Judy.May@cfnservices.com

21-May
Focus: 4G
Backhaul the Lifeline to 4G
Jennifer Pigg, VP, Enabling Technologies, Yankee Group

Yankee Group research shows that 50% of mobile network failures today can be traced back to problems in the backhaul.  That’s today – mostly voice, little data, almost no video on the mobile network.  Backhaul is not only a bottleneck, it’s a kluge bottleneck.  Service providers, unwilling to put their voice traffic at risk are leaving it on expensive TDM backhaul solutions and offloading data traffic to a parallel packet network.  In this session, we look at today’s dominant backhaul solutions and explain how the service providers will eat up CAPEX dollars and bleed profits if they do not move to more efficient solutions.  We also handicap the solutions available according to how stable we believe the solutions to be in terms of cost, performance, and management, particularly in terms of QoS and SLAs.

Sponsored by, CFN Services

Equinix (EQIX) will be reporting 1Q 2009 results on Wednesday, April 22. Its numbers will probably represent a bellwether for the whole colocation sector.

Equinix guidance, given on its last conference call, was forecasting revenues in the range of $198.0 to $200.0 million (consensus is at $ 198.91 million), and EBITDA is expected to be between $86.0 and $88.0 million, with cash gross margins at 63%. The company doesn’t usually issue outlook for EPS, while analysts expect Equinix to earn $ 0.18, with a wide bracket between their numbers, ranging from $ 0.06 to $ 0.29.

The company is also expected to spend a large part of its forecasted 2009 CAPEX in the quarter, with capital expenditures expected to be between $ 100.0 and $ 110.0 million, including $ 20.0 million of ongoing CAPEX.

This quarter should not see a strong impact from currency fluctuations (which we expect just slightly negative for the Euro and the British Pound) like in the 4Q 2008, when the European subsidiary grew on a same currency basis 11%, although it showed a 4.6% decline in US currency.

We also take the opportunity to resume the guidance issued for the whole year, as the wording of the P/R announcing the conference call (the company will discuss first quarter results … and outlook for the second quarter and full year 2009) seems to suggest the intention to update or narrow full year outlook:

• For the full year of 2009, total revenues are expected to be in the range of $855.0 to $875.0 million. Total year cash gross margins are expected to be approximately 63%. Cash selling, general and administrative expenses are expected to be in the range of $160.0 to $170.0 million. Adjusted EBITDA for the year is expected to be between $365.0 and $385.0 million. Capital expenditures for 2009 are expected to be in the range of $325.0 to $375.0 million, comprised of approximately $60.0 million of ongoing capital expenditures and $265.0 to $315.0 million of expansion capital expenditures.

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Why WiMAX?

Thanks to iPhone, Android and the carriers; AT&T and TMobile, it is clear that 3G is a new standard for the digital phone consumers. They are buying up the phones and increasing their services from their wireless provider. But are they frustrated, the phone is so robust but can the backend support the front-end? Do the carriers have the bandwidth required to meet the needs of multimedia applications on the go – such a video conferencing from the wireless device. That is where 4G comes into play – the most exciting aspect of the 4G phones is the download speed – expected to be 100 Mbps – and its equally awesome 50 Mbps upload speed.

Some companies such as Sprint are skipping the 3G world and hyper speeding right into 4G WiMax. The good news for Sprint is consumers have proven they will pay for the speed and quality of a good network with a phone with applications that meet their daily needs. The frustration of the lack of speed for downloads and video will naturally move the consumer to the desire for the 4G networks and they will incrementally pay more for that service.

One thing is for sure, Carriers are investing a lot of resources into their WiMax 4G networks. According to the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), carriers in the United States are expected to spend $4.4 billion on WiMAX infrastructure equipment in 2008. Considering that WiMAX is only one potential 4G standard, industry watchers are expecting carriers to drop a lot of dough on 4G gear.

How do the wireless providers invest in new networks during a downturn in the economy and uncertain futures? They need to find ways to be more efficient then they have ever been. They need to work with partners that will ensure they are building in the most cost effective matter and not just sole sourcing with a single vendor. They need to ensure that their networks are standing up to the SLSs in place and are providing the throughput they are paying for. The carriers need to look for partners such as CFN Services

CFN Services is not a fiber company, we acquire fiber from the most efficient and cost effective way – when it makes sense we are able to lay new fiber and complete the installation from end to end. CFN Services is able to take the day-to-day management of the build out away from the carrier and allow the carrier to spend their time on the overall build – out plans and benefits. CFN Services is able to provide a timely analysis of an area and provide the ideal bandwidth mix that is required to provide a robust WiMax platform that will maximize cost efficiencies without derogating any network quality. By working with multiple fiber companies CFN can piece together the highest quality of bandwidth and manage all the contracts and SLA’s for the carrier; while providing cost savings to the Service Provider. CFN supports the design, AAV support and TCO for a carrier. CFN also can implement and manage Fiber based MAN solutions in markets that the Service Provider is looking to have a WiMax presence. CFN Services is your partner for your mobile backhaul and new market expansions.

One a recent contract with a Service Provider, CFN Services analyzed 10,000 WiMax deployment sites to identify 3,000 sites that were proximate to fiber for use as backhaul hubs. Those 3,000 went into an RF design phase where a subset of 500 actual hub sites came back which we then designed physical fiber network to provide high capacity low cost backhaul. Because of this work, CFN Services
was able to save the provider over $615,000 for a 13-market installation.

Chicago, IL March 30, 2009 –4G World – a Transmedia and Yankee Group Conference, announce CFN Services as the lead sponsor for the 4G World Mobile Backhaul Summit. 4G World provides a roadmap for all types of operators planning their 4G technology deployment and business strategies, with a combination of world class keynotes, seminars and training and track sessions.CFN Services – Backhaul Summit Lead Sponsor 4G World 2009

Metro Ethernet Forum White Paper for Mobile Service Proviers to implement MEF Specifications. MEF has identified specific requirements for mobile backhaul applications and has developed the Mobile Backhaul Implementation Agreement. that advises service providers how to successfully and cost-effectively implement Carrier Ethernet for mobile backhaul.