tw telecom Partners With NORAD to Help Track Santa Claus
--- tw telecom to supply telephone services connecting tens of thousands of families to the annual ‘NORAD Tracks Santa’ program
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., Dec 22, 2009 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/—tw telecom /quotes/comstock/15*!twtc/quotes/nls/twtc (TWTC 17.01, -0.17, -0.99%) , a leading provider of managed voice, Internet and data networking solutions for businesses, today announced that it is partnering with the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) in Colorado Springs, Colo., to help track Santa Claus as he delivers toys to girls and boys around the world on Christmas Eve.
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NORAD has been tracking Santa Claus since 1958 using a combination of radar, satellites, SantaCams and jet fighters. This year, approximately 1,200 volunteers will help monitor and report Santa Claus’ movements around the globe over a 25-hour period.
“NORAD and Peterson Air Force Base already rely on tw telecom voice, data and Internet services to keep them connected, so we are pleased that they trust us enough to partner with us for the annual ‘NORAD Tracks Santa’ program,” said Rick Corbett, vice president and general manager of tw telecom in Colorado. “Our voice services, using our nationwide IP backbone, will ensure that every child who calls the ‘NORAD Tracks Santa’ hotline gets through to receive the most up-to-date information on Santa’s location.”
To track Santa, families can call 1-877-Hi-NORAD (1-877-446-6723) or visit the “NORAD Tracks Santa” Web site at http://www.noradsanta.org. The web site offers information in seven languages - English, Spanish, French, Italian, German, Japanese and Chinese - and on Dec. 24, visitors can track Santa’s journey, see his exact location, or view him close up through the “Santa Cam” videos, which utilize high-speed digital cameras to capture images of Santa’s flight.
“For more than a half century, trackers at the ‘NORAD Tracks Santa’ Operations Center at Peterson AFB, Colorado, have monitored Santa’s movements and relayed them to the tens of thousands of telephone callers - all within a 25-hour period,” said Joyce Frankovis, the NORAD Tracks Santa project leader. “With so many families relying on us to track Santa, it is critical that our communications partners be able to accommodate the enormous demands. We’re pleased that tw telecom will give us the necessary resources to manage the calls we expect during this huge event.”
tw telecom connects more commercial buildings to its fiber network than any other competitive communications provider. In fact, it has the third highest market share of retail Ethernet ports in service. With its own metro fiber networks and one of the ten most interconnected IP backbones in the world, tw telecom has the national capability, robust product portfolio and national/local customer care teams to support mission critical enterprise applications and to deliver the industry’s most sought after customer experience.
About tw telecom
tw telecom holdings inc., a unit of tw telecom inc., headquartered in Littleton, Colo., provides managed network services, specializing in Ethernet and transport data networking, Internet access, local and long distance voice, VoIP, VPN and security, to enterprise organizations and communications services companies throughout the U.S., and globally. As a leading provider of integrated and converged network solutions, tw telecom delivers customers overall economic value, quality, service, and improved business productivity. Please visit http://www.twtelecom.com for more information.
About NORAD
NORAD is a bi-national United States and Canada organization charged with the missions of aerospace warning and aerospace control for North America.
SOURCE tw telecom