CAPs prepare for new markets

Two competitive access providers stepped up the competition late last week. American Communications Services Inc. contracted with Lucent Technologies for switches to offer local service, and Brooks Fiber Properties added four new metropolitan areas to its expanding service.

ACSI, a CAP with 15 mid-sized markets in the South and Southwest, signed a multimillion-dollar, three-year deal with Lucent to buy at least eight 5ESS-2000 central office switches. The deal will allow ACSI to offer switched local service pending final regulatory and interconnection agreements.

Brooks Fiber added Albuquerque, N.M., Tucson, Ariz., and Bakersfield and Fresno, Calif., to its service base of 14 existing metro areas, plus eight areas under construction. All of its networks use Sonet ring technology.

Brooks will use Lucent's 5ESS-2000 switch in each new city for local switched service and frame relay. Brooks will also add asynchronous transfer mode switches for large data transport. The four new metropolitan additions are part of Brooks' plan to form a presence in 30 cities by the end of the year and in 50 cities by the end of 1998.