FLAG Atlantic-1 Upgrades to Meet Demand

LONDON, March 7 -- FLAG Telecom is bringing forward the planned upgrade program for the FLAG Atlantic-1 (FA-1) cable system with an order being placed for an additional 120 Gb/s of capacity. The upgrade, which will double FLAG Telecom's own capacity on the system, will be in service by the first quarter of 2002.
"Following sales commitments and indications of future demand across this high-traffic route, we have accelerated the timing of the upgrade of our capacity on FA-1," said Ed McCormack, COO of FLAG Telecom. "We expect the 120 Gb/s upgrade to be in service by the first quarter of 2002. Upgrade costs will be met out of our own cash resources and are included in our 2001 capital expenditure plans."