The Switch Rolls Out Second Phase Of 100Gbit Network Expansion

The Switch, a global provider of production services and transmission of live video, announces a major network expansion across the United States to meet customer demand for bandwidth, driving the industry’s transition to remote production and opening the way for delivery of high-resolution video formats such as JPEG XS.

In the second phase of an ongoing network expansion project, The Switch is deploying 100 Gbit connectivity to serve customers from New York to Los Angeles to Miami — with links to eight other nodes in key media centers around the U.S.

The Switch has added to its current network across the US with the installation of higher-capacity 100 Gbit connections through media and sports hubs in Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Washington DC, Atlanta, Miami and Jacksonville — representing Phase Two in an ongoing strategic upgrade program.

The move follows the Phase One network expansion that saw the company deploy similar hubs in New York, Boston, Hartford and Stamford. The Switch will continue to expand its network, adding higher-capacity nodes in other media centers.

“The latest network expansion represents a fundamental step in The Switch’s ongoing efforts to empower our customers to meet their evolving needs while also supporting growth in our business,” says Eric Cooney, The Switch president and chief executive officer. “The project demonstrates our commitment to enabling leagues, broadcasters and other rightsholders to offer their customers better live event viewing experiences. As a provider of leading-edge production and transmission services, we give our customers unprecedented flexibility and efficiency to ensure they can build business models that work for them.”

The network expansion enables The Switch to power future media and entertainment sector development, enhancing its capacity to drive increasing remote production of live sports and other events. The move will also help sports organizations and media companies in adopting JPEG XS compression to transport SMPTE 2110 streams at low latency, supporting those upgrading their infrastructure to produce higher resolution video.

Robert Szabo-Rowe, The Switch’s senior vice president of engineering and product management, said: “This network upgrade enables The Switch to address the requirements of content owners seeking the ultimate quality in video at the absolute lowest latency. It is critical to customers building workflows that connect SMPTE 2110-enabled facilities, allowing more seamless multisite productions and delivery of content into cloud infrastructure. It frees them to be more creative in their approach to live broadcasting and streaming. Where lower latency is essential – like for live sports betting – this level of connectivity is a huge asset.”

The latest phase in The Switch’s network expansion comes when the company is seeing strong growth in network traffic, along with increasing demand for its production services — making higher-capacity delivery more critical than ever. Over the last two years, the media sector has seen an explosion in remote production, which has been tried and tested due to the pandemic restricting travel to venues and crew allowed onsite.

The Switch will be available to discuss its network expansion and showcase its work on some of the world’s most talked about live events at the 2022 NAB Show in Las Vegas, April 23-27. At its booth (W4600), The Switch will highlight how, through a full range of live production and delivery services, it enables sports and esports leagues, news organizations, enterprises, entertainment event producers, broadcasters, and other rightsholders to cost-effectively package and deliver high-quality live coverage from any location.

To book an interview or briefing with The Switch at the NAB Show, please email [email protected].