Lightower acquires Datacenter101, deepens Midwest data center footprint

Lightower Fiber Networks has acquired Datacenter101, a Columbus, Ohio-based data center provider, giving the company access to an essential connectivity point.

Offering a mix of data center services as well as colocation services, Datacenter101 is located in downtown Columbus at 101 E Town Street.

Typical of similar facilities, the Datacenter101 site is engineered for redundancy, reliability, and scalability to address a mix of small, medium and large businesses within the region.

Rob Shanahan, CEO of Lightower, said in a statement that the acquisition helps meet "tremendous demand for data center and networking services within the Columbus region."

The center offers customers 10,000 square feet of data center space with scalable and customizable leases of cages and cabinets, N+1 power and uninterruptible power supplies, N+1 backup and cooling.

Existing Datacenter101 customers will also benefit by being able to gain access to Lightower's broader network of over 15,000 service locations, 250 data centers, 40 financial exchanges, and 500 carrier hotels and central office.

Customers will also have access to the entire portfolio of Lightower networking services and solutions, including Ethernet, wavelengths, dark fiber, private networks, internet access, cloud connectivity, and video transport.

Being able to offer a broader array of colocation and data center services, particularly in key markets like Columbus, makes sense for Lightower as it looks to further monetize its growing set of fiber and data center assets.

While this acquisition gives Lightower a deeper presence in Columbus, the service provider is quite familiar with the city, having purchased Fibertech in 2015.

Prior to being purchased by Lightower, Fibertech began building out a series of metro fiber networks in Akron, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dayton and Toledo while increasing its existing Columbus network. Upon completion of that build in 2014, Fibertech added more than 1,000 miles of new fiber in these five Ohio-based cities.

Besides buying other fiber-based providers like Fibertech, Lightower continues to purchase a number of regional data center providers that deepen its colocation presence in particular markets. For example, Lightower acquired ColocationZone, enhancing its ability to serve a mix of carriers and businesses that reside in downtown Chicago.

For more:
- see the release

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