Just a week after Bell Atlantic Corp petitioned the Federal Communications Commission to enter data communications is a big way, US West Communications Inc has signed an a series of agreements to expand its own data network offerings to cover the whole of the US. Rather than trying to go it alone, US West has signed deals with datacoms equipment company Cisco Systems Inc, and with the business telco and internet service provider Intermedia Communications Inc. This builds on another deal made two weeks ago with the Williams Companies Inc, that controls an 11,000 mile US fiber network, and US West has signed up for a major slice of the network. Taken together the three signings mean that US West is going to make a major push into the data business, to rival the long distance telecos and nation wide ISPs. Cisco will be supplying US West with hardware and applications such as IP telephony, IP fax and multimedia. The signing of Intermedia will expand US West’s data offering outside its 14 state operating region, and into the whole US. The move also moves US West into next generation internet services, which could be the best way that it can compete for long distance customers with the established players MCI Corp, AT&T Corp and Sprint Corp.
