FiberLight is keen on extending its network into more places, but the service provider its likely focus will be on conducting its own builds versus purchasing other service providers'.
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Ron Kormos, Chief Strategy Officer for FiberLight, told FierceTelecom that while it won’t rule out M&A, the service provider had not been able find an acquisition that fits its strategy yet.
“We’re continuing to look at expanding and we’d like to expand either our own networks or acquisitions eventually,” Kormos said. “That’s something we have looked at but so far we have found it’s been better to do it with our own dollar down versus buying someone else.”
As the service provider brings fiber into more markets, FiberLight has increased its near-net building reach, meaning it has fiber that’s now closer to traditional business buildings, data centers and office parks.
The service provider has also released a near-net building list, which identifies 4,500 buildings across its footprint that can be easily lit with FiberLight’s data services. The building availability data will be managed and distributed through Connected2Fiber’s Building List Manager application.
FiberLight’s Wholesale and Channel divisions will make this list available to current partners immediately and will continue to expand the number of on- and near-net buildings as its metro fiber networks expand.
Today, FiberLight owns and maintains 1.65 million fiber miles in over 400 cities and towns across the United States. It also maintains over 17,000 backbone access points, 1,700 on-net locations and presence in over 100 data centers across the country.
Besides extending its fiber into buildings, FiberLight also sees opportunities to serve international carriers that are coming into submarine cable landing stations and data centers.
Kormos said that while FiberLight has already extended its fiber into Miami’s subsea landing stations where large international carriers come into the United States, the company would like to pursue opportunities in the Northeast.
“During our early years, we went into the places in Miami where Telefonica connects into the OJUS landing station,” Kormos said. “What we haven’t looked at is getting into others like New Jersey but we don’t have a presence there today.”
Kormos added that it sees potential in expanding its subsea presence to attract more international carrier wholesale customers.
“Eventually we will be getting into those subsea stations as well,” Kormos said. “We talked about expanding into McCallen and Laredo, Texas, and it’s the same situation and we’re trying to set it up so we can use us and offer services to get them to Ashburn or Atlanta so we’re focusing more and more on that.”