Cogent Communications

Location: Washington, D.C.

Why it's so cutting edge: A 2007 Honorable Mention goes big-time. Not long after Forbes singled out Jack Cassidy as honest, it labeled Cogent CEO Dave Schaeffer as "one of the most hated in men in telecom". Is it because Cogent is so darn aggressive in setting the Ethernet price bar lower, or because Cogent is quick to see its own weaknesses and correct them? Cogent's tactics continue to keep the rest of the market, especially the big telcos playing the Ethernet game, honest.

But can it keep its edge? Could "lumpy" Internet traffic patterns affect Cogent's future success? Cogent has been leading the charge on price, but other service providers continue to expand their Ethernet market reach, and get more creative with their services than they had been in earlier phases of the market.