Level 3 Communications (News - Alert) announced that it has inked an agreement with 52Eighty, a wireless tower infrastructure company for the development of 200 new wireless tower access sites located near Level 3’s strategic Extended On-Net (EON) sites.

George Alex, CEO of 52Eighty, said in a release, “52Eighty is dedicated to providing mobile operators with the most reliable and cost-effective tower access solutions capable of handling large volumes of mobile-generated data traffic. Working with Level 3 on this project will enable us to offer customers a best-in-class solution for tower access and the provisioning of advanced wireless services.”

It was revealed that the new sites will be located in rural, suburban and metropolitan markets, and will be able to provide wireless operators with key access points to expand geographic service capabilities. Also the locations will optimize network performance, reduce operational expenses and will be able to fully utilize Level 3’s advanced network services.

The ubiquitous nature of Internet-connected mobile devices and the burgeoning growth in wireless data traffic has initiated wireless operators to deploy more tower infrastructure solutions that are expected to meet the huge demand for high-capacity wireless access.

Further network performance and transport of high volumes of data, cost effectively is imperative for wireless operators to implement if they want to leverage sites near advanced backbone networks, said officials.

The work undertaken by Level 3 and 52Eighty will result in 200 new wireless tower access sites, which will be constructed on or near strategically selected Level 3 EON locations. Level 3 will grant 52Eighty access rights for the development of new tower sites near its facilities within a two-year period.

Level 3 will be deploying necessary optical transport equipment at the sites and 52Eighty will cover the cost of the tower construction. The agreement also entails that Level 3 will enable transport services to and from the compound structure.

Paul Savill, senior vice president of Transport and Infrastructure Services for Level 3 said, “Wireless connectivity is a vital component for our increasingly mobile society, and Level 3’s advanced optical networking capabilities are a crucial factor in delivering superior wireless services. We are delighted to work with 52Eighty on this initiative and believe it will greatly enhance the ability of wireless service providers to continue improving their service area and performance.”

Recently Level 3 Communications announced its revised peering policy for Internet Protocol traffic exchanged within the United States. Aimed at accommodating a rapidly changing Internet, the new policy is available on Level 3’s Web site.