UNSi establishes interconnection agreement with Alpheus, deepens Texas Ethernet presence

LAS VEGAS--UNSi has signed an External-Network to Network Interconnection (E-NNI) agreement with Alpheus Communications, giving it immediate access to 129,000 Ethernet-qualified locations in Texas.

There were two key factors that drove UNSi to partner with Alpheus: scale and time to market.

Through this partnership, it will be able to provide Ethernet services to existing and new large multi-site business customers that reside in Texas. Besides Ethernet, customers also can get access to its broader set of cloud and managed services.

"This enables them to effectively extend their network to the fastest growing states, which is Texas because we're in 120 Bell company COs with Ethernet-enabled equipment," said Scott Widham, CEO of Alpheus, in an interview with FierceTelecom during the COMPTEL Plus trade show.

Being a symbiotic relationship, Widham added that working with UNSi "allows us to terminate our traffic on a nationwide basis because they have a nationwide MPLS network so it works for both of us mutually." 

Establishing E-NNI agreements with other local competitive carriers has been an ongoing and important trend for Alpheus. Earlier this month, TelePacific Communications struck a similar arrangement with the service provider to enhance its Ethernet over Copper (EoC) footprint, for example.

"It's a big initiative to get as many NNIs with as many carriers as we can," Widham said. "We have been doing business with UNSi for a long time and have a good relationship with them."

Besides establishing E-NNI arrangements with new carrier partners, Widham said that it is pursuing acquisitions of other assets, but could not provide any specific details yet.

"We have a couple announcements coming out on the acquisition front and we have a few things on the front burner," he said.

For more:
- see the release

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