tw telecom and DuPont Fabros Technology (DFT) have established a pact that will give DFT business customers a direct access to Amazon Web Services (AWS) (NASDAQ: AMZN) cloud services suite.
Existing DFT customers will be able to get connectivity to AWS from five of its data centers located in Ashburn, Va.; Reston, Va.; and Elk Grove Village, Ill.
A key element of the partnership is enhancing connectivity speed. Customers can use tw telecom's eLynk Express, which provides a direct Ethernet connection to and through the data center to the AWS cloud.
While tw telecom is not a data center player itself, this and other pacts it has created with other data center providers like I/O illustrate its presence as an enabler in the burgeoning cloud market segment.
This agreement also comes at a time when tw telecom has been aggressively expanding its existing network capabilities in areas like Memphis and Orange County or moving into new markets such as the Salt Lake Valley area. It also announced that it would expand its existing footprint in Houston by extending the company's network from the central business district down to South Shore Harbor in League City, and east to Deer Park.
Agreements between traditional fiber-centric service providers, data center operators and AWS have become a more common occurrence. Fellow competitive carrier Masergy began offering access to AWS Direct Connect in February, for example.
For more:
- see the release
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