GlobeNet today appointed Bruce Kraselsky as vice president, marketing, Atlantica Networks, and Tapio Knuutila as vice president - network development, Atlantica Networks. The executives, with a combined history in the telecommunications industry spanning 45 years, are the fourth and fifth senior executive appointments at the undersea cable pioneer since October.
Kraselsky has extensive experience in developing new telecommunication products and services, especially in recently deregulated markets, including Latin America. He founded and led three companies, including Constellation Communications, Inc., one of the Big LEO satellite companies planning to provide worldwide mobile communications services.
Prior to that, he chaired the space and telecommunications practice at the national law firm of Davis Wright Tremain, served as Vice President and General Counsel at Coroon & Black Inspace, and held senior positions at the United States Department of Commerce, where he was instrumental in shaping U.S. policy promoting competition in domestic and international telecommunications.
Kraselsky's responsibilities will include service development, product life cycle management, pricing and promotion for the Atlantica submarine cable networks.
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GlobeNet Executives Page 2
A 25-year veteran in the international telecommunications arena, Knuutila's responsibilities will include the business and technical arrangements necessary to extend the Atlantic-1 network linking North and South America beyond the landing stations to city centers in Argentina, Bermuda, Brazil, the United States and Venezuela.
Knuutila spent 16 years at Teleglobe, Inc. in executive positions in engineering, marketing and strategic development. While there, he implemented digital terrestrial interconnection systems, contributed to the introduction of the first international fiber-optic submarine cable (TAT-8) and subsequent systems, and led the research and development effort that introduced intelligent networks, switching, transmission and network management systems.
Since leaving Teleglobe, Knuutila spent three years at fONOROLA, a Canadian competitive long distance provider, where he introduced new market services platforms and expanded the company as a facilities-based international carrier.
GlobeNet Communications Group Limited is an independent developer of international fiber-optic cable facilities whose mission is to provide innovative, seamless, city-to-city international telecommunications solutions to wholesale bandwidth purchasers using the most technologically advanced undersea fiber optic facilities currently available. Since 1997, it has provided international services through its wholly-owned, facilities-based subsidiary, TeleBermuda International Limited (TBI) using the company's BUS-I undersea fiber optic cable system connecting Bermuda and the United States. TBI has captured more than 35 per cent of the market as the second authorized provider of international service in competition with Cable & Wireless. TBI's services include providing a world-class Internet server farm for hosting offshore e-commerce business applications.
GlobeNet is expanding its BUS-I network by laying a 22,500-kilometer fiber optic ring, Atlantica-1, to connect North and South America. The first leg of the 1.28 terabit path is scheduled to be operational in September 2000. Plans for a second phase of the network include connecting South America with southern Europe. With headquarters in St. David's Bermuda, GlobeNet (GLOCOM on the Bermuda Stock Exchange) has offices in New York, Toronto and Montreal.