Level 3 Communications (Nasdaq: LVLT) has increased the number of high-speed, ultra-low-latency fiber routes across Europe to financial centers in Milan and Zurich, with routes available from London, Frankfurt, Madrid, New York City and Chicago. The new routes give financial exchanges and trading venues access to all six of Europe's major financial centers as well as to key U.S. centers.
The rise of low latency global networks has coincided with the need for speed in stock market transactions by financial firms, many of which take place in just fractions of a second. TABB Group in 2010 estimated that high-frequency traders account for 56 percent of all U.S. equity trading and 38 percent of European equity trades.
Route providers tend to be somewhat cagey about actual speeds and the names of the financial firms using their networks, which is to be expected in the highly competitive trading world. Regardless, Level 3 has a strong presence in Europe and is competitive in the United States, where incumbents like Verizon (NYSE: VZ)and competitive providers like Paetec (via its acquisition of Intellifiber), Optimum Lightpath, and Sidera, among others, have launched their own low latency services for the financial industry.
For more:
- see this news release
Related articles:
Level 3 targets Europe's low latency network needs
Life, liberty, and the pursuit of low latency