CenturyLink, Windstream dominate the ILEC Ethernet services ecosystem

Sean Buckley, FierceTelecomThis week FierceTelecom offers a new feature chronicling the performance of the top four ILECs--AT&T (NYSE: T), Verizon (NYSE: VZ), CenturyLink (NYSE: CTL) and Windstream (Nasdaq: WIN)--in the Ethernet market.  

Similar to the other reports we have done on cable, the CLECs (competitive local exchange carriers) and EoC (Ethernet over Copper), each of these incumbent players come to the market with a diverse set of services and approaches.

Perhaps not surprisingly, AT&T and Verizon continue to dominate the list with strong brand recognition and a deep footprint in some of the largest national and international companies.

Of course, they aren't without challengers. Being incumbent carriers, the pair continues to face economic pressures and ongoing revenue issues as more of their customers migrate off legacy ATM and Frame Relay services to Ethernet.

What's most exciting about the ILEC realm is the growing presence of CenturyLink and Windstream--two telcos that are arguably seeing the fastest growth in Ethernet and the overall business services market.

CenturyLink, for instance, became a major player in Ethernet when it purchased Qwest in 2011, while Windstream has found its place as a hybrid ILEC/CLEC with the acquisition of smaller ILEC and CLEC assets such as NuVox and PAETEC.

I encourage you to take a look at our new feature: CenturyLink, Windstream, other incumbents rise to the Ethernet occasion and make comments.

Also, check out the other reports in our Ethernet ecosystem series: Level 3, tw telecom, other CLECs step up to Ethernet plate, EoC makes a new dent in Ethernet market, and Cable MSOs: A phoenix rising in the Ethernet industry.--Sean

Click here to read the latest feature in our Ethernet ecosystem series.