AboveNet (NYSE: ABVT) is on the network expansion path again with a new drive to extend its fiber network deeper into the Atlanta metro market.
Through this expansion effort, the competitive carrier--which caters to enterprises and service providers that require very high bandwidth speeds--will extend its network reach into downtown Atlanta and nearby cities including Alpharetta, Buckhead and Norcross.
Atlanta has become, according to a Gartner Group report, a major connectivity hub. Dan O'Connell, research director at Gartner, said it "estimates that 10 percent of the national digital traffic flows through the Atlanta corridor, serving as the major hub linking high growth Southern markets to the Northeast in the U.S. and to international markets."
Already, the new network expansion has gained attention of QTS, an Atlanta-based data center service provider, which has connected its two data centers to AboveNet's network. QTS's customers will now be able get access to AboveNet's domestic U.S. and European locations.
While AboveNet has been making various network expansions in a number of its key markets, including Atlanta, New Jersey and San Francisco, its agreement with QTS and overall expansion reflects a growing trend to provide much needed connectivity to help center providers connect their islands of data centers and provide connectivity to their customer base.
Besides QTS, AboveNet last year signed an agreement to provide connectivity to Amazon's Web Services (AWS) platform.
Of course, AboveNet is not alone in its desires. Fellow competitive provider First Communications also just signed a deal to provide a connection to AWS Equinix/Ashburn location.
For more:
- see the release
Special report: 10 competitive telecom executives to watch in 2011
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