Windstream's efforts to tap into the burgeoning data center interconnection (DCI) market continues to pay off, as the telco's recent move to provide intra-data center services at Chicago's famed Cermak center shows.
Building off momentum it created with the 500G route it built from Denver to Chicago to Dallas, the service provider is working with Infinera to connect data center locations within the Lakeside Technology Center at 350 East Cermak.
Windstream is providing connectivity within parts of the data center, otherwise known as intra-data center connectivity.
"This application at Cermak is the first application of intra-data center," said Jeff Brown, director of product marketing and product management for Windstream Carrier Solutions, in an interview with FierceTelecom. "Up till now we have been providing services from one data center to another, sometimes in the metro area and sometimes long-haul."
Brown said this is "within a building where we have built capacity due to a lot of growing demand and allows us to more quickly provision wavelength services all the way up to 100G for our customers more quickly using Infinera's Cloud Xpress platform."
Like other wireline providers, Windstream decided to opt out of selling data center services. But the service provider's wholesale arm is finding success in the DCI market.
This enables Windstream to leverage these growing 100G and 500G network routes to create new large revenue opportunities, reflecting one of the company's overall goal to monetize its fiber network assets.
"The success we're having was the culmination of our long haul expansion that goes up all the way to Denver for now," said. "This year a lot of the capital is being spent to have on-ramps to get to popular data centers and carrier hotels where a lot of the cloud traffic is moving to where we need to connect with other wholesale providers or enterprise customers getting access to the cloud."
Besides Chicago, Windstream is extending its 100G network to NJFX's carrier-neutral data center in Wall Township, N.J., giving customers a new express route into its 21715 Filigree Court point of presence (POP) in Ashburn, Va. This connection will give both Windstream and NJFX customers access to the Ashburn internet hub, one of the largest and fastest-growing in the world.
Related articles:
Windstream plugs in Infinera Cloud Xpress platform to power data center interconnection service
Windstream sets Western market expansion with 500G route from Denver to Chicago and Dallas
Windstream's $250M Project Excel accelerates 100 Mbps, VDSL2 broadband push
Windstream's data center sale allows it to focus on broadband, fiber networking strategy