CENX reaches 15 million ESLs, appoints Russ Shriver as SVP of marketing

CENX has reached yet another milestone in its ongoing move into the Ethernet exchange market segment by surpassing the 15 million ESL (Ethernet Service Locations) mark.

Interestingly, CENX was able to reach the 15 million ESL mark only four months after announcing attainment of 10 million ESLs and less than a year since the opening of CENX's first exchanges.

"In a short period of time, we were able to accelerate our presence and there a number of new large providers that are joining and helping us to build that number," Nan Chen, President of CENX in an interview with FierceTelecom. "We are seeing growth across the whole board in North America, Asia Pacific and Europe."

Part of that growth is being seen this week as both AboveNet (NYSE: ABVT) and COLT announced they have joined CENX's Ethernet exchange.

AboveNet's new Ethernet eXchange Hub service will offer services to customers in select CENX and Equinix Carrier Ethernet Exchanges. Acting as the "hub or central connectivity port in the carrier exchange," service provider customers will be able to leverage AboveNe's network for Ethernet connectivity to connect into key enterprise locations, carrier hotels and data centers.  

Similarly, COLT is making initial connections at CENX's Carrier Ethernet Exchanges in London and New York to enhance its reach into North America, Europe, and Asia.

Chen believes what's attracted more large carriers such as AboveNet, COLT and China Telecom into its exchange is its overall approach.

"I think generically we have been able to attract the minds of large carriers because we're both carrier neutral as well as data center neutral," he said. "We are not connecting our exchanges together and we don't compete with enterprise customers, which can be a huge problem for other Ethernet exchange providers."

At the same time that CENX is also ramping up its management team with more Ethernet knowledge. Following the appointment of former AT&T Ethernet head Sandy Brown as CEO earlier this year, CENX has hired Level 3 executive Russ Shriver as its new Senior VP of marketing.

Known as an Ethernet services pioneer, Shriver most recently served as Level 3's Vice President, Product Management, Internet and Data Services. Shriver's move to CENX isn't completely off base as worked on some of the early Ethernet exchange ideas when they were hatched inside the Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF).

"Russ is a great asset in the industry," Chen said. "One of the key things is that he was an early supporter of the Ethernet exchange concept at the MEF."

Chen added that Shriver also brings the "expertise from Level 3 in terms of scale," adding that "he probably talked to other exchanges and his joining CENX is a good indication that we are doing something right."  

For more:
- see the ESL release
- see Russ Shriver release
- and the AboveNet release
- and the COLT release

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