24/7 Fiber Network, an emerging wholesale fiber and Ethernet service provider, has just put the finishing touches on Phase One of its fiber network expansion. With Phase One of the network expansion complete, 24/7 will offer lit fiber services, including 10 GigE down to lower speed SONET and Ethernet over Copper (EoC) access services.
Offering dark and lit fiber services, Phase One of 24/7's 432-count fiber count fiber route connects to its Baltimore Metro Network to the College Park, Md. area inside the D.C. beltway. Although it did not give a specific timeline, the service provider said it plans to expand the network further into the Washington, D.C. area.
And while 24/7 may be a relatively new player, the potential value for carriers and even area enterprises is its reach into new areas as an alternative source. Unlike traditional carriers that have targeted mainly just the major D.C. metro areas, 24/7 believes its differentiator is its focus on providing a connection between the underserved markets throughout the Delmarva Peninsula with the Mid Atlantic region.
In the next phase of its network expansion that's expected to be completed in Q4 2010, the new route will offer lit and dark services and cell tower backhaul to both the carrier and enterprise markets services to underserved areas throughout Virigina and Salisbury through Delaware into the Wilmington Metro Region.
"This is not speculative growth for its own sake; these builds are customer- driven and supported and we will continue to fill these needs and robustly expand in the area," said Christopher Morris, Vice President and COO of 24/7 Fiber Network.
While it would be hard to speculate just how successful 24/7 will be, the demand for alternative sources of fiber-based wireless backhaul and wholesale Ethernet services to help service providers expand out of their respective footprints is real. Infonetics' biannual report, 2010 Ethernet and IP MPLS VPN Services illustrated that wireless backhaul and separate Ethernet exchanges are both driving Ethernet growth.
For more:
- see the release here
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