Verizon already has mesh networks across the Pacific and across the Atlantic, each with eight alternate paths. Traffic can be rerouted over the quickest path across the mesh in the event of a disaster. Because of the trans-Pacific mesh, Verizon's network recovered after its cables were damaged in the earthquake, aftershocks and tsunami that hit Japan last year, according to the carrier. "It's gotten us out of a lot of jams," Wellbrock said.

Now, Verizon is building that capability into high-capacity land-based networks in a global initiative, upgrading not just the carrier's domestic U.S. system but also networks in key markets elsewhere in the world. The move is designed to bring greater reliability to enterprises' high-speed links. This will be a gradual process, Verizon said.

The IDG News Service