LONDON, March 18 /PRNewswire/ --

- Pan-European Trading Platform Partners With AboveNet for Fast, Secure Connectivity in the UK

AboveNet Communications UK Ltd., a leading provider of fibre optic connectivity solutions for business and carriers, has completed a private managed Ethernet network for BATS Europe, the highly efficient, low latency multilateral trading facility based in London.

AboveNet has implemented a low latency, highly resilient fibre solution for BATS Europe to use as core connectivity between two of its key sites in London. The provision of a very high speed, secure link over AboveNet's wholly-owned fibre network is fundamental to BATS Europe's platform, which gives investment firms a MiFID-compliant alternative for conducting core trading business.

BATS is focused on 'Making Markets Better' in Europe by replicating the same speed and responsiveness we've displayed in the U.S., said Mark Hemsley, CEO of BATS Europe. Delivering a low-cost, high speed platform is at the heart of our offering, and AboveNet's private fibre optic service is helping make that happen by supplying resilient connectivity between our key locations. This network enables us to provide constant, duplicated live feeds for the cross-referencing and compliance our clients need.

John Donaldson, managing director at AboveNet, commented, Our experience in the finance and trading sector and the durability and capacity of our network has given BATS Europe the mission-critical connectivity it requires. The ability to conduct transactions in sub-millisecond timeframes backed up by an advanced networking infrastructure will be attractive to clients in the U.K. and beyond.

The requirements of the MiFID regulations as well as the demand for algorithmic trading from hedge funds and investment banks mean that the amount of data being transported is growing exponentially. The only way to keep up with these bandwidth demands and meet critical specifications for low latency transactions is through a private fibre network, concluded Donaldson.

About AboveNet, Inc.

AboveNet provides fibre optic connectivity solutions for businesses in and between 15 top U.S. metro markets and London. It also has a Tier 1 IP network that connects to 20 cities in 7 countries. AboveNet's network is widely used in demanding markets such as financial services, media, health care and retail.

About BATS

BATS Global Markets (BATS) is an innovative global financial markets technology company headquartered in the Kansas City, Mo., area with additional offices in New York and London. The BATS platform was launched in January 2006 and, operating as BATS Exchange, Inc. is one of the fastest growing, top tier equity markets in the United States. BATS serves the European market through its London based, FSA-authorised subsidiary, BATS Europe, which operates a Multilateral Trading Facility for European securities. The BATS platform is internally developed by a dedicated core team of market and technology professionals, catering to the needs of the broker-dealer and trading community. BATS ... Making Markets Better.

UK Headquarters: Centurion House, 24 Monument Street, London, EC3R 8AJ

For more information, please visit: http://www.above.net Contact: Suzy Ferguson / Niki Hutchinson, +44(0)20-7802-2626 abovenet@lewispr.com

Contact: Suzy Ferguson / Niki Hutchinson, +44(0)20-7802-2626, abovenet@lewispr.com