ConnectiviTree branches out with Windstream deal

Windstream Wholesale has entered into an agreement with ConnectiviTree that will see the two leverage each other’s networks for customers in the U.S and Europe. 

Under the agreement, Windstream will leverage access to the planned ConnectiviTree pan-European network and the wider ConnectiviTree Global Alliance Network. Windstream Wholesale will provide the U.S. portion of the wave (or Ethernet) service, while ConnectiviTree will provide the international portion.

“Thus, our customers have another alternative to reach Europe. On the other hand, European customers can leverage Windstream’s U.S. network,” said John Nishimoto, senior vice president of products, marketing and strategy at Windstream.

That means European customers will have access to Windstream’s 100G and 400G wave services to connect with U.S. data centers. The company said its long-haul optical networks will support 800G transmission in the future.

Nishimoto told Fierce that Windstream has partnered with other international partners in the past to leverage its network and complete their services in the U.S.

And Windstream has expanded its U.S. fiber network presence with multiple builds underway, including its Beach Route from Raleigh, North Carolina to Jacksonville, Florida, of 864 count fiber and 651 route miles; the CanAm2 build from New York City to Montreal of 432 count fiber and 455 route miles and an extension of its T-Rock Express route from Tulsa to Little Rock, Arkansas, into Memphis for 432 count fiber and 472 route miles.

The partnership with ConnectiviTree enables Windstream to enhance high-speed optical transport for their service provider partners and large enterprise customers, expand their global services and support high-speed optical transport for the ConnectiviTree fiber network footprint in the U.S.

ConnectiviTree’s is strategizing to build out its pan-European L1-2 network (CTree Rootnet), an automated self-service on-demand software (CTRee Plaza) and the ConnectiviTree Global Alliance to provide “global connectivity-as-a-service to global enterprises through our Service Provider partners and Systems Integrator resellers,” said Eugen Gebhard, the company’s CCO and co-founder.

ConnectiviTree plans to build two U.S. points of presence (PoPs) to connect with the Windstream U.S. network, Gebhard told Fierce. The company is targeting the first quarter of 2024 to have deployment completed.

The ConnectiviTree channel partner network includes Danish Global Connect, Fiber Telecom Italy, Eurofiber Netherlands, and now, Windstream.

“Combined, these four initial ConnectiviTree partners provide data transfer services and connectivity to thousands of enterprise customers. ConnectiviTree continues to expand our channel partner network through our ConnectiviTree Global Alliance partner program,” Gebhard said.

The goal, he added, is to sign up with around 10-15 global alliance partners to build a network to cover all regions globally, and to sign up with around 200 “so-called Connect partners,” owning local tails, to be able to deliver true global services via our ConnectiviTree Plaza Software portal as one-stop-shop.”