FiberLocator® Adds Validation and Quote Request Features to Online Fiber Mapping Application

Online Subscribers are now able to take advantage of two-click third-party validation and pricing

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact: Joy Milkowski, 720-939-5858

NEWTON, Mass. (May 4, 2012) – FiberLocator Online, the centralized, searchable fiber network research database from NEF (www.NEFiber.com), has added critical new workflow-optimization features to the user interface. In addition to displaying key telecommunications data and research such as fiber maps, lit buildings and data center locations, FiberLocator Online now offers two other important information resources to users: two-click Quote Requests and Validation Requests. With these new features, FiberLocator Online enables users to seamlessly integrate time-intensive activities such as pricing requests and third-party network validations into the telecom research and procurement workflow.

The latest release of FiberLocator Online, which launches today, gives users the ability to send pricing requests to NEF based on a fiber route or carrier at a specific location. Users can also request to have the fiber experts at NEF validate the fiber and network data they are seeing in FiberLocator Online. The three available report options for validation requests are connectivity reports, feasibility studies and data center site surveys. Connectivity Reports highlight area and location-specific infrastructure options and deliver research and field level data. Both feasibility studies and data center site surveys involve similar information and also include competitive analysis, recommendations and pricing. Custom validation projects are also available depending on client requirements.

Both the Quote Request and Validation Request features were added to FiberLocator Online based on user feedback with the goal of simplifying and streamlining the processes used by FiberLocator subscribers.

“The biggest benefit we hear from our users is what a time savings tool FiberLocator is. Research and information gathering tasks that used to take our typical user days and several phone calls and emails to complete, now just takes them a few minutes in FiberLocator,” says Steve McCarthy, COO of NEF and co-creator of FiberLocator.

“By integrating the pricing and validation request features into FiberLocator, it maximizes our users’ efficiency and keeps key functions like quote requests and network validations closely aligned with their workflow,” McCarthy continued. “Any time we can remove extra steps for our customers’ to-do lists and help them make their jobs easier and faster, we’re creating tremendous value.”

With FiberLocator Online, network planners, commercial real estate professionals and myriad related telecom and IT professionals can search and pinpoint fiber network and colo intelligence down to street level. FiberLocator provides detailed maps on nearly 200 network providers, 1600+ data centers and 150,000 lit buildings all across the US. Subscribers can view maps and information on networks at specific addresses/building locations and utilize numerous intuitive features within the application including radius and measurement tools, dynamic legend and layer controls, map print functions and more.

To schedule an interactive demo of FiberLocator Online or learn more about individual access or enterprise licenses, contact NEF today at 617-597-6800.

About FiberLocator Online

FiberLocator Online is a unique, searchable telecom application mapping thousands of “lit” buildings, data centers and street-level facilities based carrier networks in the US. FiberLocator was created by the fiber experts at NEF, Inc., one of the nation’s top telecommunications consulting and procurement firms. FiberLocator continues to grow as one of the most trusted central repositories of telecommunications infrastructure maps and intelligence as well as a source for consulting and network verifications. For more information, visitwww.FiberLocator.com.

NEF’s Murphy to Provide Insights on Data Center Design & Marketability at Data Center Summit West

Summit Panel will focus on a variety of issues surrounding the development of new data centers

NEWTON, Mass. (April 10, 2012) – NEF, a leading telecommunications consulting and brokerage firm focused on dark fiber, colocation and high-capacity bandwidth, announced this week that CEO, Michael Murphy, will present at Data Center Summit West April 12, 2012, at the Santa Clara Convention Center. Murphy will serve as a dark fiber and high capacity network subject matter expert for the session “Data Center Design & Its Impact on Marketability, Management and Operations” moderated by Steve Finnerty, Business Development at zColo.

The panel, which focuses on what makes a data center asset “marketable” in today’s commercial property and IT landscape, will be one of many educational sessions held throughout the day at the Data Center Summit West. Over 300 data center, commercial real estate, telecom and other related professionals are expected to attend the event, a sequel to the highly successful summit held in New York City last November.

“When it comes to developing a data center, whether you’re considering an existing building, a powered shell or even a greenfield site, telecom bandwidth plays an enormous role in the marketability of your site,” said Murphy. “A majority of the audience understands the importance of connectivity and will benefit from the discussions surrounding critical components like telecom facilities.”

In addition to the connectivity topics including new and unique fiber and related data-infrastructure requirements, the session will tackle a trending topic of repositioning existing commercial assets, namely what’s required to transform a traditional commercial real estate property into a data center. Moreover, the speakers will touch on electrical requirements and power backup, new and cost-effective water and cooling systems and innovations in security and redundancy measures.

Murphy commented, “Many companies are realizing the overwhelming benefits of moving their data center off-site and away from their office locations, and at the same time, investors and commercial property owners are seeing the potential of their assets as data center facilities. Those two ideas together fuel tremendous demand for smarter infrastructure planning and decision making.”

Murphy has more than 16 years of telecommunications sales and management experience, with 12 years working directly with large bandwidth connectivity and colocation for enterprises and carriers. He has formed and cultivated strategic alliances and channel partnerships throughout the nation with a number of standard and non-standard providers. His extensive first-hand experience working with dark fiber, international networks, fiber optic network maps and colocation gives him a wide knowledge base in working with providers, commercial real estate brokers, IT professionals and customers alike.

Murphy and the NEF team will be on hand to wrap up the Data Center Summit West with a post-show networking event, Summit After Hours, in the Great America Room at the Convention Center. The networking event is co-sponsored by Quality Technology Services, the third largest data center provider and leader in innovative data center solutions at locations across the country.

About NEF

NEF, Inc., is one of the nation’s top telecommunications consulting and procurement firms, offering a combined 60 years of industry experience and a proven methodology for providing its customers with the best networks, information and pricing available. NEF provides a broad spectrum of solutions from procurement of dark fiber networks and high bandwidth, fully managed optical services, to buying and selling entire assets through the Asset Marketplace. Through their many partners and carrier relationships, NEF designs custom connectivity solutions and provides access to over 200 fiber providers throughout the US and EU, 150,000 lit buildings and 1400+ data centers. For more information, visit www.NEFiber.com .

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Zayo Acquires AboveNet and Arialink – What’s Next?

The past year has been huge in terms of acquisitions in the telecom world. In 2011, the buzz was about Zayo’s acquisition of 360 Networks, and it looks like Zayo’s moving on the same path at a steady pace. Zayo has made the official announcement that they are in the midst of acquiring dark fiber giant AboveNet, and the very next day announced that they are also to acquire Arialink, Mid-Michigan’s largest fiber optic service provider.

Read the AboveNet release here >> Read the Arialink release here >>

The AboveNet deal, which is subject to customary approvals, is expected to be finalized for April 17^th and close by mid-2012. Zayo has offered $2.2 billion, and AboveNet has a 30 day go-shop window, which is very unusual for an acquisition.

Dan Caruso, President & CEO of Zayo, says of the AboveNet acquisition:

“AboveNet and Zayo’s business models are closely aligned with a disciplined focus on high bandwidth fiber-based communications services for enterprises, government and carrier customers. We have admired AboveNet’s business model and results and believe the combination will create value for customers, employees and investors.”

Of the Arialink acquisition, Glenn Russo, Zayo’s EVP of Corporate Development says:

“Arialink has built a great business by extending their fiber-based Ethernet network to key businesses and government agencies in Michigan. We have worked with Arialink for some time and adding their reach to Zayo’s national network will allow us to offer a broader range of solutions to our collective customers.”

AboveNet will be adding its 2.3 million fiber miles and 2800+ on-net buildings to Zayo’s already large footprint of 45,000 route miles in 42 states, 5200 lit buildings and 94,000 square feet of colo space. Abovenet had honed its processes, its alternative channel programs, its pricing and products to the point that they have become the benchmark of operational excellence. With the Abovenet acquisition, Zayo has gained far more than fiber mileage and lit buildings. They have gained a finely tuned machine, that when combined with Zayo’s other resources, could quickly vault them into being the number #1 alternative access solutions provider in the U.S.

The Arialink acquisition, like AboveNet, has been made to increase Zayo’s fiber network: upon closing the $18 million cash deal, Zayo will have added 930 route miles nationally, 400 of which are in Lansing and Ann Arbor, MI. Arialink’s network is also connected to 437 buildings.

Zayo was initially formed to become an acquisition superpower – their mission was to purchase assets to roll into one large network, with the eventual goal of becoming an acquired company themselves. Now, the Zayo leadership team is transforming the company into something else altogether…an ATM perhaps? As Zayo continues to expand its massive network, the question has to be asked – would anyone be in a position to buy them, if this is still their long-term plan? And by adding Arialink’s assets and AboveNet’s dark fiber routes that span most major metro areas, will this change the dark fiber landscape? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Tri Star Holdings Chooses NEF to List Duct Systems in Richmond, Va. & Austin, Texas

Offerings Include One Duct System in Downtown Richmond and Three Duct Systems in the Growing Austin Metro

NEWTON, Mass. (Mar 22, 2012) – NEF, a leading telecommunications consulting and brokerage firm focused on dark fiber, colocation and high-capacity bandwidth, announced today that Tri Star Holdings has listed two duct systems for sale with NEF. NEF leverages a collaborative network of private equity and telecom buyers with those wishing to sell whole network or data center assets, including fiber networks, unused fiber capacity, duct systems and colocation properties.

NEF was selected to represent Tri Star Holdings’s duct systems because of its track record of successful asset sales. Tri Star Holdings desired a trusted resource for the two unique duct assets and sought NEF for their knowledge of duct systems, their understanding of the telecom industry, as well as for their extensive network of buyer contacts. Tri Star Holdings also chose NEF for the visibility in the Asset Marketplace, a hub of available fiber optic and colocation assets among investors and acquisition-minded telcos.

Tri Star Holdings’s Richmond, Va., asset is a 2.1 mile conduit system in the downtown area and is the last available duct in a multi-duct system. The asset is situated in the heart of Richmond, a welcome business climate with ties to the exploding Northern Virginia region (NOVA) in a state named #1 for business by Forbes.com and CNBC. The duct passes the local exchange carrier central office, 36 commercial buildings and other key interconnection points and can be activated quickly post-purchase by pulling fiber through the existing duct.

The business-friendly capital city of Austin, Texas, is home to a second available asset from Tri Star Holdings. The three available duct systems, each system with four HDPE ducts, share the same footprint spanning 2.7 miles in downtown Austin. Austin is a rapidly growing market for businesses spanning all industries, including technology, health, power and government. The duct system was built with open-cut construction and runs by each of the key components of the public telecommunications network, including the LEC central office and 10 major inter-exchange carriers, as well as multi-tenant commercial buildings.

“The Tri Star Holdings assets are well placed in their markets – which are both hot markets right now — and offer a turn-key opportunity for interested parties to develop a retail network, wholesale network or a lit services offering,” said Charlie McLravy, head of NEF’s asset sales. “The existing Tri Star Holdings duct systems are each an attractive option for companies wanting to establish or grow a presence in the Austin or Richmond markets in a cost-effective and efficient way. The costs to build a similar system from scratch are substantial and prohibitive.”

Contact NEF for more information on the Richmond or Austin duct systems. See the NEF Asset Marketplace or learn more about listing or purchasing assets.

About NEF

NEF, Inc., is one of the nation’s top telecommunications consulting and procurement firms, offering a combined 60 years of industry experience and a proven methodology for providing its customers with the best networks, information and pricing available. NEF provides a broad spectrum of solutions from procurement of dark fiber networks and high bandwidth, fully managed optical services, to buying and selling entire assets through the Asset Marketplace. Through their many partners and carrier relationships, NEF designs custom connectivity solutions and provides solutions spanning 200 fiber providers throughout the US and EU, 150,000 lit buildings and 1600+ data centers. For more information, visit www.NEFiber.com.

About NEF Asset Sales & the Asset Marketplace

NEF Asset Sales leverages extensive industry relationships and specific telecom and colocation expertise to get available assets to the right buyers without unnecessary cycles. Through direct brokerage opportunities or an auction setting, NEF has the experience to make the sales or M&A process streamlined and win-win. NEF also offers specialized consulting, strategic advisement and due diligence solutions for both sides of the asset transaction in support of the large-scale deals.

The Asset Marketplace from NEF is a niche listing destination for buying and selling telecommunications and data center assets, such as high capacity fiber optic networks, unused fiber bandwidth, duct and conduit systems and colocation properties. The Asset Marketplace enables asset owners to monetize or sell their excess fiber, infrastructure or data center space including underutilized capacity or non-strategic assets that could produce revenue that owners may not have time or desire to market.

For more information, visit the NEF Asset Marketplace today or call 877-DK-FIBER.

FiberLocator® Offers Enterprise License

Whether your company’s large or you’re experiencing rapid growth, the FiberLocator Enterprise License can accomodate up to 200 individual users. Read on for more information:

FiberLocator® Offers Enterprise License

Online Subscription Designed for Businesses with Ten or More Users

NEWTON, Mass. (March 7, 2012) – FiberLocator Online, the centralized, searchable fiber network research database, is now offering a cost-effective Enterprise License option for businesses with sizable user populations. The FiberLocator Online mapping application began as a tool for individual users but has quickly grown into an invaluable tool for larger organizations for improving the efficiency and accuracy in the fiber network planning process.

FiberLocator Online’s enterprise licenses are based on multiple sessions running simultaneously, rather than unique user accounts, which help companies to avoid the impractical single-seat model. With simultaneous sessions, an enterprise is able to offer wider opportunity for more users to have access to the platform and realize much better value and adoption across its network planning efforts.

“FiberLocator Online is becoming the resource of choice for many in network planning because it gives them access to all the maps and data they need in one place,” said Steve McCarthy, COO of NEF and co-creator of FiberLocator. “The larger the organization, the benefits like time savings, data accuracy and access to carrier-neutral information multiply to produce a measurable ROI.”

With FiberLocator Online, enterprise organizations can search, locate and identify fiber network and colo intelligence down to street level detail on nearly 200 network providers, 1600+ data centers and 150,000 lit buildings all across the US. With the innovative tool set in FiberLocator, enterprise users can view maps and information on networks down to specific addresses/building locations and utilize numerous intuitive features within the application including radius and measurement tools, dynamic legend and layer controls, map print functions and more.

Previously, customers could purchase one, three, five, or 10 user licenses. The introduction of the Enterprise License program now accommodates companies that require more than 10 subscribers. For one flat monthly rate, enterprises can designate between 11 and 200 prospective users, and any 10 users can access the FiberLocator Online platform simultaneously.

McCarthy continued, “The simultaneous session concept is a great option for a larger company that wants to give access to FiberLocator Online to as many employees as possible without unnecessary costs. Most of the time, there isn’t a need for more than a few users to access the system all at once, but it’s smart to have adequate access if the situation ever presented itself.”

To schedule an interactive demo of FiberLocator Online or learn more about individual access or enterprise licenses, contact NEF today at 617-597-6800.

About FiberLocator Online

FiberLocator Features Enventis Metro Network Maps

Need fiber network data or bandwidth in the north, eh? You can now find metro fiber maps from Enventis on FiberLocator. Read on…

Fiber Maps Spanning Minnesota and Surrounding States Available to FiberLocator Community

NEWTON, Mass. (Jan. 25, 2012) – Leading fiber network maps resource FiberLocator announced today that Enventis, a subsidiary of HickoryTech, has published its metro fiber route maps and carrier information in FiberLocator’s quickly-growing database of high capacity networks, lit buildings and data centers. The Enventis fiber routes connect multiple strategic and geographic locations and extend throughout Minnesota, Iowa, the Dakotas and Western Wisconsin, areas generally under-populated with low-latency network solutions.

The Enventis network features more than 3,250 miles of fiber built as SONET rings for maximum redundancy and protection. Their product set offers fiber-based transport services including TDM from DS1 to OC192, DWDM and MPLS technology, and Ethernet and IP services up to GigE. Enventis provides secure, reliable connectivity to most national and regional carriers, and their footprint spans across Minnesota and into Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

Steve McCarthy, chief architect of the FiberLocator product suite and COO of NEF, welcomed the addition of the Enventis maps, saying “The scope and breadth of their network is impressive, especially considering the region that they’re in. There isn’t a preponderance of fiber carriers in Minnesota and the neighboring upper Midwest states, so the new data from Enventis provides FiberLocator users and network planners with more map and lit building data in these thriving northern states.”

McCarthy continued, “By adding their assets to our extensive database, Enventis has opened up their presence and their network footprint to many potential new clients – especially carriers, enterprise customers and those in the commercial real estate industry.”

In addition to publishing their maps in the FiberLocator searchable application, Enventis has also provided a solutions detail in the FiberLocator carrier information feature to help users learn more about the company and the services they offer. This is particularly helpful on a national scale to those who are not located in the region and may be unfamiliar with Enventis and its network.

FiberLocator is currently accepting carrier maps for long-haul and metro networks as well as seeking data center locations and specs. Learn how to add carrier network maps and data in FiberLocator or find out how to search the FiberLocator database and access information on the 200 carrier maps and 150,000+ lit buildings available. Visit www.FiberLocator.com today.

About Enventis

Enventis specializes in providing integrated voice, data and network communication solutions to businesses and service providers across the upper Midwest. Leveraging its multi-state fiber optic network, Enventis provides IP telephony, high-capacity transport services and MPLS. Enventis, a Cisco Gold Certified Partner, provides network solutions for a broad spectrum of business clients. Enventis is a subsidiary of HickoryTech; NASDAQ: HTCO. To learn more about Enventis and how “We’ll Network That,” visit www.enventis.com.

About FiberLocator

The FiberLocator suite of solutions combine a comprehensive fiber network research database with a team of expert analysts to make connectivity research and decision making more efficient and accurate. FiberLocator Online offers a unique, searchable telecom application mapping thousands of “lit” buildings, data centers and street-level facilities-based carrier networks in the US. FiberLocator was created by the fiber experts at NEF, Inc., one of the nation’s top telecommunications consulting and procurement firms. FiberLocator continues to grow as one of the most trusted central repositories of telecommunications infrastructure maps and intelligence as well as a source for consulting and network verifications. For more information, visit www.FiberLocator.com.

Projections for Aggressive Buying in 2012

Popular telecommunications blog Telecom Ramblings posted a poll asking readers which US network providers they believed would be the most aggressive buyers in 2012. Each participant chose three of the following 19 carriers, valued at $500M and above in assets:

- Level 3 – Earthlink – Windstream – Sidera

- Verizon – Sprint – XO – TelePacific

- AboveNet – tw telecom – Lightower – CenturyLink

- Frontier – AT&T – Zayo – Megapath

- Cogent – Integra Telecom – Fairpoint

Results from the poll pointed to Zayo, tw telecom, Level 3, Earthlink and Windstream. Author Rob Powell chose his projected three dominant providers as Zayo, Earthlink, and TelePacific. His reasoning for his choices:

Zayo – “Agreed, actually I’m slightly surprised that Zayo didn’t get an even higher percentage of voters to select them as one of their top three, and not because they announced the purchase of a data center property an hour after I posted the poll. Zayo has made several purchases a year since it was created, and 2012 is not likely to be different.”

Earthlink – “Agreed on this one, but they were #2 on my list. While they’re busy integrating what they have, this puzzle is still missing a few pieces. Earthlink will be actively looking to find them.”

TelePacific – “I think the Tel West purchase was a foot in the door of a larger strategy that will be further developed in 2012.”[1]

We relayed the same question to NEF President Michael Murphy and Michael Spieldenner, VP of Consulting Practices. Both had a unique spin on their outlook for 2012 acquisitions.

Michael Spieldenner expects big things from AboveNet and Fiberlight. “AboveNet has been board approved to spend some cash, and so they have to find some targets. Their growth rate has been amazing, but it will be more difficult to continue expanding those numbers, so the next logical step is to buy some new market access or revenue. AboveNet also needs more comprehensive market access. Technically, they are a quasi-national company, so an acquisition that addresses long-haul and broader market-based capability is necessary.

Fiberlight is in a similar position. Sure, they are adding buildings, constructing more metro miles and extending into some new areas surrounding their current markets, but they need more aggressive growth. They are still viewed as a strong regional-based fiber provider.

I think Windstream and CenturyLink, however, will need some serious time to digest what they have already swallowed, as they have assets that are valuable but disparate.”

Michael Murphy says, “I agree for the most part with the results of the poll, however, my thought is that AboveNet and Sidera should have made it onto the list.

As for the providers that finished in top spots in the poll, Zayo has been aggressively acquiring data centers in 2012, along with smaller fiber assets that fit the 360 Networks/Zayo footprint post-merger. The rumor floating around tw telecom is that they are looking for a regional player to acquire, but they have been slow to move on new acquisitions – it should be interesting to see how they play the field. I have my doubts about Windstream and Level 3 emerging as top buyers. Windstream needs a year or so to digest all of the assets that they have purchased in the last couple of years, and Level 3 is still sorting through their new assets acquired through the Global Crossing merger – are they ready for another acquisition?

AboveNet seems to have been overlooked as an industry power in this poll. They are interested in acquiring fiber based assets that complement their existing footprint, or will allow them to activate new markets where they have inactive assets. Sidera, in my view, could get a second wind: they tried to be an acquisition target in 2011, but did not garner enough interest. They will acquire network assets and top line revenue along with smaller data centers in their footprint.”

We’re only a few weeks into the new year, but it will be interesting to see if our projections are correct. Which providers do you think will be most aggressive in 2012? Do you agree with our projections? Share in the comments below!

A Look Ahead: Telecom in 2012

Telecom in 2012: Ringing in the New Year with NEF’s Look Ahead

While we don’t have a crystal ball, we’re not shy about taking a stab at what’s to come. The following are predictions on a variety of topics surrounding telecommunications and data centers by our senior staff. See if you agree…

Cable companies will continue to get traction in the enterprise with price disruptive Ethernet services. Their existing access, low cost agreements, and current infrastructure make it easy for the MCOs to deploy enterprise Ethernet services and drive the price points down.
Ethernet over copper replaces TDM services for small to mid-sized businesses. Much faster, more scalable and in many cases, more affordable than TDM services, Ethernet over copper is a no brainer solution for many SMBs. Expect EoC to surge this year.
Look for telecom companies’ acquisitions of data centers to increase. The notable examples in the past year include Verizon-Terremark, Time Warner Cable-NaviSite, and Windstream-Hosted Solutions. While it makes plenty of business sense for the carriers doing the acquiring, it’s not as clear that there will be an upside for the existing customers (or the prospects) of the data centers. Carrier neutrality has been a key factor in keeping bandwidth prices in check.
Consolidation will continue with our predication being that two large acquisitions in telecom will take place and one wireless merger/acquisition will happen. Overall, telecom will continue its pace of growth in the coming year.
2012 will see a strong migration into self-managed networks and dark fiber by medium and large enterprises, though decision makers will show less concern with company pedigree than cost-to-performance ratios. What’s more, companies will rely less on expensive equipment and start to choose cheaper equipment vendors.
Sometime in 2012, expect a glut of data center space in New Jersey, New York, Virginia, Dallas and Chicago.
No doubt we’ll witness a continued migration to “cloud based services” involving both the public and private cloud varieties. Expect that trend to include MPLS/VPLS.

Agree? Think you may have some different or better predictions? Share them now by posting comments. You can also contact us to discuss how to optimize your upcoming telecom or data center project given the current industry climate.

Telecom in 2011: A [Quick] Year in Review

Recently, Windstream completed its purchase of PAETEC, and that news capped a year of interesting consolidation activity. Then just days ago, Zayo completed its 360Networks acquisition (its 17^th) — a big move for the Louisville, Colorado-based company as it doubles their network size and completes the most audacious addition to their network to-date.

The question on the minds of end users regarding many of the mergers this year involves integration. How successful and/or painful will knitting these networks together? Add to that a growing concern that fewer players inevitably means higher prices and lower levels of service, and it feels like same-song-different-verse.

What else describes and/or punctuates 2011? Here’s a list of events, news, headlines and more from the closing months of 2011 along with our commentary. See for yourself if we got it right!

Windstream Completes Acquisition of PAETEC – Much like a Russian doll, Windstream bought someone that already bought someone that already bought someone. Windstream’s recent purchase of PAETEC poses an interesting challenge/opportunity in unifying disparate entities and assets to create a holistic and cohesive suite of solutions. In essence, Windstream is a company founded on low-bandwidth solutions that now controls considerable assets. There are some great assets under Windstream’s purview, but it will take some serious horsepower, focus and money to create a cohesive network offering to prospective clients.
Notable Carriers NOT Making Moves — Instead of doling out big bucks for acquisitions, companies like tw telecom and AboveNet are using their cash to buy back shares and augment their existing networks. It will be interesting to see what’s ahead for both these providers in 2012 and whether they start to jump in on the consolidation action.
Cloud Continues to Gain Steam – 2011 was a big year for “cloud” anything. You couldn’t (and still can’t) read a newsfeed or turn on your television without hearing something about the cloud. Interestingly, cloud has been around for long-time, technically speaking. It’s not a new concept — the internet IS the cloud. “Cloud” is a marketing strategy, more or less. Hmmm, can you say “VOIP”? The migration to cloud and an increasing reliance on virtualization will happen, just as VOIP did. (Though VOIP is still hampered by the infrastructure of old, the billing systems of old and the fact that we don’t have exceptional connectivity everywhere…yet!) As budgets continue to get crimped, cloud is a fantastic alternative to pricey OPEX-heavy solutions that are obsolete before they’re even close to paid off. What’s even better is the connectivity to key cloud providers such as Amazon are now getting a boost in high bandwidth connectivity from folks like AboveNet, which makes the proposition even smarter.
Telecoms Outperforming World Economy – “There’s an app for that” is music to many telco’s ears because where there’s an application from Angry Birds to telemedicine, or someone’s desire to “Rule the Air” as Verizon Wireless suggested, there’s a need for connectivity and infrastructure to support it. Multiple advancements are happening simultaneously to fuel the success telecom is currently enjoying: The maturity of metro Ethernet, the proliferation of fiber, mobile devices and the supporting infrastructure, the move from brick and mortar to on-line and the applications are all coming together at the same time. This combination of factors has generated the enormous push for more bandwidth, and that push is like a gift to telecom providers. This reminds us of the bumper sticker that states “Please God, give me one more [telecom] boom, and I promise I won’t piss it away this time!” This is a boom, and as much as we wish it wouldn’t, it will end.
Worst wireline CEOs of all time — This was an interesting article from FierceTelecom, and certainly worth a quick read. Though, be forewarned that it brings back painful memories of the telecom boom and bust and hits all too close to home in the housing crisis, as if we learned nothing from the telecom failings a decade ago. Of course, we would be remiss if we didn’t throw another log on the first by suggesting former Teligent CEO Alex Mandl.

What do YOU think about 2011’s telecom and colo happenings? Which headlines were most important and why? Tell us now by sharing your comments and feedback.

Next up is our bold attempt at prognosticating what might be to come in 2012.

Central Ohio Duct System Now on the Map

Columbus FiberNet recently published their duct system in FiberLocator’s database of high capacity optical network assets as a way to raise awareness for their assets in Central Ohio. Built to serve the carrier and high bandwidth user markets, the duct system boasts an impressive roll of benefits:

70 miles of twenty 1½ innerducts connecting the downtown commercial business district with the high tech business parks in Dublin, Worthington, Westerville, Polaris, Gahanna, Easton, and Hilliard
20 innerducts, 1 ½” in diameter, capable of placing a 96, 144, 288 or 432 strand fiber cable
Network ring passes over 20 central office and points of presence facilities to provide quick connectivity to major long haul transmission routes
1,110 manholes averaging 3 every 600 feet ensuring each service provider has access to their facilities
Well documented metro ring is easily locatable to avoid unnecessary service interruptions

Columbus has aggressively built the duct system as a way to entice high-tech and other bandwidth intensive organizations to make their homes, or at least establish a presence, in Central Ohio and the greater Columbus area. Columbus FiberNet is a shining example of a metro area investing in ample telecommunications infrastructure to attract the types of companies they want. “If you build it, they will come” has seemed to be there guiding tenet, and it’s been a solid strategy.

Their GM said in the recent press release announcing their listing and maps in FiberLocator, “CFN’s focus from the start has been to improve connectivity and promote competitive broadband for the Central Ohio region. Publishing our asset maps and data in FiberLocator is just one more way we can raise visibility for this network and let others know that they have an ideal network option in and around Columbus.”

See CFN’s maps as well as nearly 200+ other facilities based carrier maps and Type 2 provider maps in FiberLocator. FiberLocator also catalogs over 1400 data centers and colo providers along with 150,000 “lit” buildings. Request a map of your location or find out how you can publish your maps for greater visibility and more qualified high bandwidth opportunities.

Zayo Acquires 360Networks

Zayo announced today that it has completed its acquisition of 360Networks ahead of schedule. Originally slated to happen after the new year, the most audacious transaction for Zayo was finalized today.

Early October 2011 Zayo Group made the play to acquire 360Networks, a full-service wholesale provider of Private Line Transport, Ethernet, IP, and VoIP services. Already one of the industry’s major players, Zayo’s assets and reach have expanded significantly upon completion of the acquisition, They now own 360Networks’ 18,500+ route miles of intercity and metro fiber network across 22 states, connecting over 70 markets. This brings Zayo’s grand total in the vicinity of 44,000 route miles and 2 million fiber miles.

360Networks footprint complements Zayo’s metropolitan fiber and nearly doubles their current network. President and CEO of Zayo Group Dan Caruso says, “The combination with 360Networks marks a new chapter for Zayo, one in which we emerge as a national provider of Bandwidth infrastructure service…[which] allows us to provide a greater range of solutions, both in terms of markets served and ability to interconnect services across the markets.”

Large acquisitions such as the Zayo-360Networks merger are an interesting animal. While they can be a positive development for the end user because they can connect more locations with the same provider, and the providers can often be more creative with solutions, there are also a host of challenges. Network integration, customer service and pricing are all areas where consolidation can sometimes hurt the customer.

Time will tell how Zayo’s acquisition of 360Networks will affect customers and agents. To read the full press release, click here.

CoreWave Arrives in Bay Area

The San Francisco Bay Area is becoming epicenter of the ever-growing telecommunications industry.

AboveNet, a key NEF carrier partner, now offers its CoreWave services to the Bay Area. AboveNet has upgraded its network to offer more bandwidth and lower latency, which is ideal for the high-tech businesses that heavily populate the region. The new network offering allows customers to get faster, less expensive bandwidth connections with fewer time delays in information transmission. Additional benefits of the CoreWave service include the following:

Multi-protocol capability: Ethernet, TDM, storage and video
Protection options and transparency advantages
Dedicated fiber access to enterprise locations
Fast service turn-up
Space and power savings

President and CEO of NEF Michael Murphy says, “Silicon Valley is filled with companies across the spectrum from technology powerhouses to the latest and greatest apps and games to financial services outfits. What they all have in common is a growing appetite for bandwidth as well as the need for highly flexible and scalable network and colocation solutions. We trust AboveNet to deliver not only the technology that these types of organizations require, but the stellar service they demand as well.”

AboveNet adds CoreWave to its already impressive suite of solutions including wavelengths, metro point-to-point Ethernet and multi-point Ethernet, and IP services. AboveNet boasts one of the largest CLEC footprints across the United States and Europe, offering access to more than 450 data centers, 2.3 million fiber miles, and 13,000 route miles.

Does your bandwidth intensive business have a presence in the San Francisco Bay Area? Have your connectivity evaluated for optimal pricing or bandwidth available or review new colocation options with the experts at NEF. Map your location in the Bay area or anywhere in the US free with FiberLocator, an innovative fiber maps application from NEF.

Sidera Expands into Sentinel Data Center in NJ

Sidera Networks has expanded its network to Sentinel’s New Jersey data center, offering low-latency and ultra low latency paths within New Jersey and the New York metropolitan area. The low latency networks focus on serving the area’s major financial exchanges. For more information on data centers and colocation, contact NEF to take advantage of our Data Center Concierge services, or visit FindADataCenter.com.

Read the full press release below.

Sidera Networks Extends its Xtreme Ultra-Low Latency Network into Sentinel’s New Jersey Data Center

New York, NY – November 16, 2011 — Sidera Networks, the premier provider of fiber optic-based network solutions, announces today it has expanded its network into Sentinel Data Centers’ NJ-1 data center. As a result of this expansion, Sentinel’s customers will now have access to Sidera’s Xtreme Ultra-low Latency Network.

Sidera’s high capacity, high availability Xtreme Ultra-low Latency Network offers the lowest latency paths between the New York metropolitan area financial exchanges and other key locations to deliver diverse and resilient connectivity. Unlike other commercial networks, Xtreme is able to keep traffic exclusively in New Jersey or extend into New York, based on customers’ specific routing requirements.

“Sidera Networks is excited to be able to serve the growing roster of Fortune 500 customers within the Sentinel NJ-1 facility,” remarks Mike Sicoli, CEO of Sidera Networks. “We appreciate that Sentinel’s customers are highly quality-sensitive with respect to their data center environment and feel that the robust, scalable and ultra low latency nature of our Xtreme network is a perfect fit in connecting these users to key exchanges and interconnection points throughout the NY/NJ metro area.”

Earlier this year, Sentinel completed the first phase of the construction and commissioning of its 330,000 square foot, multi-tenant NJ-1 facility. The facility is designed to meet the most stringent enterprise standards, and is LEED Gold pre-certified with best-in-region energy efficiency.

“It’s a powerful combination – giving customers the ability to deploy a mission critical data center inside NJ-1 with direct connectivity to Sidera’s high quality network,” comments Nelson Frye, Director of Business Development for Sentinel Data Centers. “We are thrilled Sidera has chosen to build into NJ-1 and look forward to connecting our enterprise user base with Sidera’s flexible and highly resilient network platform.”

About Sidera Networks
Sidera Networks, LLC www.sidera.net, is the premier provider of tailored, high-capacity communications services to carrier and enterprise customers. Sidera Networks offers a comprehensive suite of facilities-based services including: Ethernet, SONET, Wavelength, Dark Fiber, Internet Access, Colocation and more. With a fiber optic network leveraging unique rights-of-way that delivers connectivity to the major metropolitan areas from Maine to Virginia and out to Chicago, as well as access to Toronto and London,
Sidera is committed to delivering cost-effective, custom solutions coupled with superior industry expertise, service and support. Follow Sidera on twitter @sideranetworks.

About Sentinel
Sentinel Data Centers, LLC is a leading owner, developer and operator of multi-tenant data centers for large footprint users. Founded in 2001, Sentinel was an early pioneer in the “wholesale” data center business. Since its inception, Sentinel has developed over one million square feet and 80 megawatts of best-in-class data center solutions for a diversity of Fortune 500 enterprises across multiple industries, including financial services, healthcare, technology, and biotechnology, among others. Sentinel strives to stay at the forefront of evolving best practices for data center design, development and operation and maintains a flexible and transparent business model that is grounded in customer service. To learn more about Sentinel Data Centers, visit www.sentineldatacenters.com.

Duct System Available in the Gateway to the West

NEF, Inc. announced in a release today that it is adding the unique multi-duct fiber and conduit system in St. Louis to its lineup of assets in their Asset Marketplace. The asset is available in its entirety or in strategic packages designed for a variety of potential buyers. For information on the St. Louis asset for sale, please contact NEF at 877-DK-FIBER or via email at info@nefiber.com.

Read the full release below:

NEWTON, Mass. & St. Louis, Mo. (Oct 28, 2011) – NEF, a leading telecommunications consulting and procurement firm focused on dark fiber, colocation and high-capacity bandwidth, announced today that American Fiber Comm has listed their unique 17.2 mile multi-duct system located throughout St. Louis, Mo., on the NEF Asset Marketplace. The Asset Marketplace is a hub of available fiber optic and colocation assets, connecting buyers and sellers of unused fiber capacity, dormant duct systems and colocation properties.

American Fiber Comm’s St. Louis conduit and fiber routes are noteworthy because of their wide-spread placement throughout the St. Louis metropolitan area, from the central business district to the up-and-coming Washington Avenue loft district to the industrial areas of the city. The 1.4 million feet of duct connects to the major carrier hotels and points of presence in the city and also spans the Mississippi River to serve the Illinois side of the metro area.

“St. Louis is a strategic location, and this asset is a nice addition to any network’s Midwestern footprint,” said Michael Murphy, CEO of NEF. “The fact that the asset is available as a whole or in parts gives potential buyers flexibility as well as scalability if they want to add on at some point.”

Other key benefits of the asset include proximity to multiple cell towers, diverse connection to the University of Missouri -St. Louis campus, diverse (two) river crossings as well as the robust security and superior construction. The conduit is encased in 10”steel all directionally bored. The system also boasts marked man holes ranging from 750 to 1000 feet apart throughout most of system. The manholes are strategically placed adjacent to various intersections so that connectivity can easily be achieved in any direction.

When asked why American Fiber Comm chose NEF as a company and the Asset Marketplace to gain more exposure and list its assets, CEO Tom Allen responded, “Michael Murphy and his team are very knowledgeable and trustworthy. They’re the right people for the job.”

Contact NEF for more information on the St. Louis multi-duct system. See the Asset Marketplace or learn more about listing or purchasing assets here.

About NEF

NEF, Inc., is one of the nation’s top telecommunications consulting and procurement firms, offering a combined 60 years of experience, industry leading dark fiber map tool FiberLocator, and a proven methodology for providing its customers with the best networks, information and pricing available. NEF provides a broad spectrum of solutions from procurement of dark fiber networks and high bandwidth, fully managed optical services, to buying and selling entire assets through the Asset Marketplace. Through their many partners and carrier relationships, NEF designs custom connectivity solutions and provides access to over 200 fiber providers throughout the US and EU, 150,000 lit buildings and 1400+ data centers. For more information, visit www.NEFiber.com.

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Equinix to Build Seattle Data Center

Equinix, NEF partner and leading provider of data center services, has announced plans to build their third International Business Exchange data center, this time in Seattle. This follows the increasing demand for data storage services, especially from the Pacific Northwest region, where many digital media companies are centered.

Charles Meyers, president of the Americas for Equinix, weighs in:

As a major communications hub for the Northwest United States and a distribution point for IP traffic to Asia, the Seattle market is important for customers who rely on Platform Equinix to improve application performance and connect to key members of their digital ecosystem. Equinix has long catered to the many cloud, network, and digital content companies in the Seattle area and we are continuing to invest in the metro region to meet customer demand for our data center and interconnection services.

The new data center’s direct fiber connectivity will allow customers access to numerous carriers and networks, which is especially important to a growing technological hub like Seattle. The IBX data center, set to open in early 2013, will have capacity for over 1,000 cabinets in a 51,000 square foot space.

If you are looking for data center space anywhere in the United States, NEF is here to help. Try our Data Center Concierge service, and check out FindaDataCenter.com - contact us today!

Sidera Expands Network to VA

Sidera is expanding its network yet again to a DuPont Fabros Technology facility, this time to Ashburn Corporate Campus in Northern Virginia. If you would like more information on Sidera’s ultra low-latency connectivity, contact NEF for an assessment of your bandwidth requirements.

Full press release below.

Sidera Networks Expands into DuPont Fabros Technology’s Ashburn Corporate Center

New York, NY – October 18, 2011 — Sidera Networks, a premier provider of fiber optic-based network solutions, announced today that is has expanded its network into DuPont Fabros Technology’s (“DFT”) Ashburn Corporate Campus located in Northern Virginia. With this expansion, DFT’s tenants will now have access to Sidera’s network for high-capacity, reliable connectivity.

“All of our Ashburn Corporate Campus data center tenants will have access to a high quality, customer focused service provider,” said Hossein Fateh, President and Chief Executive Officer of DuPont Fabros Technology, Inc. “Bringing Sidera’s network into our data centers provides numerous advantages to both existing and potential customers and validates our commitment to offering the most efficient and robust facilities in the market.”

Earlier this summer, Sidera announced the extension of its network to DFT’s NJ1 data center located in Piscataway, New Jersey. Tenants within this facility will have access to ultra low-latency connectivity to key financial exchanges and carrier hotels throughout the New York Metropolitan area.

“We are pleased to continue our strong working relationship with DFT,” said Mike Sicoli, CEO of Sidera Networks. “Customers within DFT’s campus will now have a first-class network service provider to go with their first-class data centers.”

For more information about Sidera and its leading network solutions visit www.sidera.net or follow Sidera on twitter @sideranetworks.

About Sidera Networks
Sidera Networks, LLC www.sidera.net, is the premier provider of tailored, high-capacity communications services to carrier and enterprise customers. Sidera Networks offers a comprehensive suite of facilities-based services including: Ethernet, SONET, Wavelength, Dark Fiber, Internet Access, Colocation and more. With a fiber optic network leveraging unique rights-of-way that delivers connectivity to the major metropolitan areas from Maine to Virginia and out to Chicago, as well as access to Toronto and London, Sidera is committed to delivering cost-effective, custom solutions coupled with superior industry expertise, service and support.

About DuPont Fabros Technology, Inc.
DuPont Fabros Technology, Inc. (NYSE: DFT) is a real estate investment trust (REIT) and leading owner, developer, operator and manager of wholesale data centers. The Company’s data centers are highly specialized, secure, network-neutral facilities used primarily by national and international Internet and enterprise companies to house, power and cool the computer servers that support many of their most critical business processes. DuPont Fabros Technology, Inc. is headquartered in Washington, DC. For more information, please visit www.dft.com.

AboveNet Connects Amazon’s Cloud

Cloud networks have been all the rage for the past year or so and particularly the discussions on public versus private clouds. One of the most talked about public clouds is the Amazon cloud provided through Amazon Web Services. For those who decide to use Amazon’s cloud for mission critical applications, they can now bypass the Internet and connect to AWS through AboveNet. AboveNet recently inked a deal with AWS as one of the first AWS Direct Connect Solution Providers to supply high-performance access to the cloud in 100Mbps, 1Gbps and 10Gbps bandwidth levels.

What exactly are the benefits of connecting to the AWS cloud infrastructure through a high bandwidth connection from a provider like AboveNet?

Companies can save on network costs.
Data can travel faster with increased bandwidth throughput.
IT staff can rely on more consistent network performance than Internet-based connections.

For more information on AboveNet’s partnership with Amazon, read the full press release here.

zColo Now in Pittsburgh

zColo, Zayo’s carrier-neutral colocation service, now offers services in Pittsburgh, PA, in addition to its 10 other facilities (Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, OH; Los Angeles, CA; Memphis, Nashville, TN; New York, NY; Newark, NJ; Minneapolis, MN). Located in Pittsburgh’s premier carrier hotel, the facility brings zColo’s total colocation space to 170,000 square feet in its 11 facilities. Read the original press release here.

Are you looking for data center space or for connectivity relating to your data center? Get answer and advice when deciding which services best fit your needs and your budget. Contact NEF today.

Windstream & PAETEC

Windstream has crept up on the scene in telecom, and with this week’s announcement that they’re acquiring PAETEC they’ve made a big splash. But what’s the back story on this provider? And perhaps more importantly, what’s next? Given their meteoric rise to fame as a bandwidth provider, it’s worth becoming more familiar with their history to understand where they are today and where they’re going tomorrow.

With humble beginnings as a rural POTS line provider, the Arkansas based company originally known as Allied Telephone Company was founded in 1943. Over time Allied became Alltel, then Valor Communications Group, and finally evolved into Windstream within the last 5 years. Despite its roots in traditional phone services, Windstream has slowly but surely begun to build a significant fiber-based network through acquisitions and has put itself on the radar of big bandwidth users.

Windstream itself offers a helpful timeline of their evolution, and Wikipedia summarizes their recent acquisition activity as follows:

CT Communications On May 29, 2007, the company announced that it would acquire CT Communications for $585 million. The acquisition would result in an addition of approximately 158,000 access lines and 29,000 broadband customers, nearly doubling the company’s presence in North Carolina. The sale closed August 31, 2007.^[4][5]

D&E Communications On May 11, 2009, the company announced that it would acquire D&E Communications of Ephrata, Pennsylvania for approximately $330 million. The acquisition will result in an addition of approximately 165,000 access lines and 44,000 high speed internet customers. The acquisition will greatly expand the company’s presence in Pennsylvania, including significant expansion of its CLEC presence in seven markets in the state, including State College, PA, home of Pennsylvania State University.^[6][7] The transaction closed November 10th, 2009.^[8]

Iowa Telecom On November 24, 2009 the company announced that it would acquire Iowa Telecom for $1.1 billion. The acquisition would result in an addition 256,000 access lines, about 95,000 high-speed Internet customers and about 26,000 digital TV customers, adding rural Iowa and Minnesota to the company.^[9]

NuVox, Inc. On February 8, 2010 the company acquired Nuvox, a company formed from a merger of Gabriel Communications and Trivergent Communications.^[10]

Q-Comm Corporation On August 17, 2010 the company announced that it had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Q-Comm Corporation in a transaction valued at approximately $782 million. This includes Q-Comm’s wholly owned subsidiaries Kentucky Data Link, Inc. (KDL),^[11] a fiber services provider in 22 states, and Norlight, Inc.,^[12] a CLEC primarily serving the Midwest. Both KDL and Norlight are based in Evansville, IN. Q-Comm subsidiaries Cinergy MetroNet^[13] and nGenX^[14] will be spun off as independent companies prior to the close of the deal.^[15]

Hosted Solutions In November 2010 the company announced that it would acquire Hosted Solutions for $310 million. Hosted Solutions is a North Carolina-based managed hosting, cloud and colocation provider with a footprint of five datacenters in Cary, Raleigh and Charlotte, North Carolina as well as Boston, Massachusetts.^[16]

PAETEC Holding Corp In August 2011, the company announced that it would acquire PAETEC Holding Corp., a Rochester, New York-based telecommunications company.

This track record of growth through acquisition begs the question as to whether Windstream will continue on this path and join the likes of AboveNet and Zayo. Will they become a formidable network and colo option for enterprise and even wholesale bandwidth users? While we don’t fully know their end game, we are cautiously optimistic about having another high cap optical provider in areas to help give customers more options, competitive pricing and great service.

Let Freedom (& Fiber) Ring

Let freedom (and fiber) ring all the way out to the suburbs of Chicago. This past April NEF and Sidera announced their plans to team up in a long term referral partnership and they’re back again with more exciting news. Sidera recently announced the addition of even more options in ultra-low latency connectivity through switched and dedicated Ethernet, wavelength and dark fiber services.

In a press release, Mike Sicoli, CEO of Sidera Networks announced their recently completed “expansion out to the suburbs west of Chicago to address the increasing demand for reliable, scalable connectivity from education, healthcare and financial services businesses in this region.”

Many may wonder what the long term benefits and/or implications are for an expansion of this magnitude. Well, for starters, companies in the financial services industry now have more options and greater reliability when it comes to housing information and back-ups on billions of dollars being traded. This expansion will also enable Sidera to meet the connectivity demands for scalable networks from the enterprise sector as well as the growing need in education and healthcare. Sicoli added, “this new fiber-based network offers healthcare and educational institutions access to a first-class network infrastructure.”

In addition to their expansion out to the suburbs west of Chicago, Sidera has recently announced that it has grown its fiber network to several data centers in Northern Virginia. Sidera’s growth includes the Latisys data center campus in Ashburn, which was recently expanded.

Sidera is now able to offer more options in ultra-low latency connectivity and has solidified a winning partnership with NEF, the nation’s leading experts in dark fiber, high cap optical services and colocation. There is no doubt that exciting things are in store for both Sidera and NEF. Especially, as many recently learned that Sidera Networks is on the sales block and positioned perfectly to fetch a pretty penny given the growing need for bandwidth.

What does it all mean? While Sidera’s ownership may evolve, they remain a leader in reliable high bandwidth connectivity to key locations – and relentlessly focused on the needs of their customers. Together with Sidera, NEF can give latency and diversity sensitive customers an optimal network with performance plus exemplary customer service. Interested in Sidera Networks routes or pricing or want to see your low latency network options? Talk with NEF today for a free fiber map of your key locations, including data centers, from FiberLocator.

Telecom Networks – Sellers Wanted

Buyers Actively Looking to Purchase Networks & Assets

Since the inception of the NEF Asset Marketplace, a growing number of buyers have come forward and are seeking to purchase fiber networks or procure unused or underutilized assets. In fact, currently NEF has multiple buyers/investors that are actively looking for strategic networks and data centers to purchase in the immediate future. Don’t miss the opportunity to get your network in front of the right targets. Consider NEF’s Asset Marketplace which pairs buyers and sellers of high cap assets and data center properties.

If you’d like to learn more about how to list your network in the Asset Marketplace or about the various programs available for monetizing your underutilized assets, talk with NEF today.

Carrier Procurement – New App

Want Efficiency? There’s an App for That

It started with an idea: “What if finding carrier maps and data were as easy as clicking a button in a browser?” From that simple notion NEF set about compiling the most comprehensive database of carrier maps, lit buildings and data centers – and web-enabling the intel so that procurement and planning professionals could have instant access to the data they need every day. The result: FiberLocator, the online fiber map application cataloging over 150 carriers and non-standard providers (such as utilities and municipalities) along with 1500+ data centers and 150,000 lit buildings.

FiberLocator was purpose built as a centralized and unified online source for fiber optic network maps and data center information which would make procurement more efficient and straightforward.

In carrier procurement and network planning, there has always been an element of calling around to get the data needed or more recently, searching online for fiber network maps – and there is often more research to do than there is time to do it. FiberLocator can greatly expedite and simplify intelligence gathering on other fiber networks, lit buildings, PoPs and colocation providers.

That’s why FiberLocator is the choice of procurement specialists for finding maps and intel on carriers and non-standard providers quickly and in one place. With the app, a user can instantly login and search for carrier networks and info, including lit buildings and data centers, anywhere in the US.

What’s more, users have the option of using the FiberLocator team to do the work of getting quotes and information for projects. For carriers that means getting an extra pair of hands where it’s needed for requests too far outside the box, opportunities that are time-consuming or a temporary backlog of requests. The new FiberLocator app services agreement includes quote processing at no extra charge.

FiberLocator is available as a SaaS application and accessible from anywhere – even on an iPad. Talk with NEF today about subscriptions and enterprise accounts.

AboveNet Connects to The Bunker

Forget bulletproof — if you need colocation and business continuity in a site that was originally built withstand a nuclear blast, then look no further than The Bunker — Montgomery Westland Data Center. The Tier III+ Houston data center is renowned for its interesting origins and for its nearly unparalleled fortification, and now The Bunker adds AboveNet to its sizable list of carriers servicing data center and colocation customers. AboveNet joins AT&T, tw telecom, Level(3), Phonoscope, Suddenlink Communications, Consolidated Communications, and ICTX/WaveMedia at Westland Bunker.

The AboveNet Westland Bunker network will offer dual paths for diverse, low latency private optical networks delivering high bandwidth connectivity to major Texas markets including Houston, Dallas and Austin.

NEF is a leading AboveNet resource and can help enterprises and carriers procure AboveNet network and data center space.

Read the full release>>

Windstream Boston Data Center

NEF partner Windstream Hosted Solutions announces the completion of their Boston data center expansion. Read the press release below and if you are interested in touring the new facility, utilize the Data Center Concierge service to book your tour and provide background research at no charge.

Windstream Boston Data Center Expansion Complete

BOSTON – Windstream Hosted Solutions, one of the nation’s premier providers of enterprise-class cloud computing and managed hosting solutions, announced today that it has completed its new multimillion dollar data center expansion project in downtown Boston as part of the company’s plan to expand its footprint. The new SAS 70 Type II compliant data center has nearly doubled in size, making it one of the most advanced and largest managed services facilities in the Boston area.

Windstream Hosted Solutions Boston data center:

Spans 25,000 square feet
Located in Charlestown, Mass. and is easily accessible from Route 93
Features new environmentally friendly technologies for efficient cooling as well as high efficiency UPS units and emergency generators
Offers redundant utility feeds, an unparalleled network infrastructure and a seasoned operations team

Windstream Hosted Solutions is experiencing tremendous growth as more companies begin to adopt cloud computing. Just last month, the company announced the opening of its third data center in Charlotte, N.C. and is constructing a new data center in Little Rock, Ark. Windstream also manages and operates data centers in Raleigh, Cary, and Charlotte, N.C.; Newton, Iowa; State College and Ephrata, Pa.; Jacksonville, Fla.; Atlanta, Ga., Nashville, Tenn., and Brookfield, Wis.

“Enterprise businesses of all sizes are challenged with handling an increasing amount of data and require a data center that can scale as their needs expand,” said Kip Turco, senior vice president of data center operations at Windstream Hosted Solutions. “We have invested heavily in our Boston facility because there is a current lack of data center space in the region. The Boston data center is one of several facilities in our portfolio being expanded, and we expect to extend our footprint into other markets in the near future.”

According to Forrester Research, the global cloud computing market will reach $241 billion in 2020 compared to $40.7 billion in 2010. Forrester also predicts that 2011 will be the year of cloud implementation.

Windstream Hosted Solutions is a trusted data center partner to both small- to mid-size businesses as well as large Fortune 100 companies. The company provides enterprise-class managed hosting solutions for storage, cloud computing, network and security, OS management and middleware service management, DBA services and disaster recovery.

For more information about Windstream Hosted Solutions, talk with NEF. NEF can offer expertise, maps and advice on the local Boston market, including Boston dark fiber, and can advise on the best fit for connectivity, colocation and cloud services.

Caisson Data Center Services

Caisson Solves the Data Center Power/Space Conundrum

When Selling Colo, NEF Can Get You the [Smaller] Space Your Client Needs at Caisson

The footprints of today’s fast-evolving virtualization technology, multi core processor machines, blade centers and higher capacity storage devices are shrinking and along with them, the data center space needed to house the infrastructure. However, the true benefits of the smaller-but-more-robust equipment can only be realized if companies can reduce their colocation space requirements and thereby reduce costs. A challenge for many data centers is they do not have the power density to serve the advancements that call for less square footage, so companies end up paying for space they don’t need simply because they need the power. Enter Caisson Data Center Services.

New England-based Caisson was purpose-built to serve the needs of companies with heavy power density requirements. As a true Tier 3 data center, including single building use and concurrent maintainable architecture, Caisson’s colocation space offering includes 150 watts per square foot standard and up to 350 watts per square foot available fed by a multi bus power infrastructure. What’s more, it’s built to the new SSAE standard while also delivering higher wattage per square foot than others in the region.

For business continuity and disaster recovery purposes, Caisson is ideally situated on 9 acres of land less than 25 miles west of downtown Boston and outside the 500 year flood plain. It’s conveniently located just off the Mass Pike for easy access with ample parking. Caisson’s facilities encompass 117,000 square feet and the initial build spans 16,500 square feet with customizable pods available.

Whether customers are considering traditional colocation or searching for space suited to housing their own private clouds and virtualization technology there’s a stellar colocation option at Caisson to deliver the optimal space + power solution that helps them keep costs down and performance up. And don’t forget about bandwidth. As a Caisson partner, NEF can find the best-fit connectivity and colocation package for customers to deliver the overall infrastructure performance companies need for their primary or back-up systems. Talk with NEF today about the unique offering at Caisson Data Center Services and about connectivity needs for today and the future.

Data Center Telecom Networks

NEF COO Steve McCarthy is set to present at tomorrow’s 2011 Markley Data Center Networking Exchange to be held at their One Summer Street facility in downtown Boston. His talk, entitled “Finding the Right High Capacity Networks for Colocation” focuses on the need for data center customers to consider their telecom and data networking needs as a primary factor in a data center decision.

The common considerations in data center selection are location, power, space, security and more, but McCarthy’s contention is that connectivity should be up at the top of the list.

“One of the most important components [of site selection] is almost ignored,” said McCarthy about network connectivity. “Data centers often have a ‘carrier neutral’ strategy, but that sometimes means ‘you can bring in whoever you want’. In that case, there’s considerable expense and time needed to complete a data center project. You wouldn’t do that with power. That would be ridiculous. So why do it with telecom networks?”

McCarthy’s presentation also discusses specific benefits to conducting your due diligence on carriers at data centers:

By checking your options, you can keeps costs down
Researching various data centers may help you keep your current carrier(s) and network
Smarter planning for future growth
You may have access to non-standard providers because they’re unpublished
In any environment, the more players there are, the better your price and SLA will be

He also goes into the consequences of not keeping your data center options open.

“We have been doing this long enough that we have seen a consistent pattern of customers paying 2-3x more for data centers without network options,” warned McCarthy. “You may also have issues with diversity — true diversity — and put yourself at risk when one outage takes down multiple providers on a single route.”

According to McCarthy, by sourcing information about data centers in your desired locations, you can avoid the pitfalls and arm yourself with negotiating leverage with both data centers and carriers. McCarthy suggests using FiberLocator, a leading database of telecom and data center intelligence, to help you conduct the necessary research. FiberLocator is available in an online application for self-service research or the data and maps can be provided as a service.

Visit www.FiberLocator.com or call 877.DK.FIBER to learn more about data center due diligence as well as NEF’s new Data Center Concierge service which will research providers and schedule data center tours free of charge.

New Hampshire Fiber Network

NEF partner Lightower announced the completion of their all-fiber network in New Hampshire. NEF is the New England dark fiber expert and works closely with customers looking for Lightower connectivity solutions along with other high bandwidth network and data center options. Read the full release here or talk with NEF about the Lightower fiber network today.

Lightower Completes Latest Expansion of Fiber Network in New Hampshire

Industry leading all-fiber networking and broadband solutions now available in Granite State business centers including Salem, Manchester, Merrimack, and Nashua

BOXBOROUGH, MA — April 19, 2011 — Lightower Fiber Networks, a leading metro fiber network and bandwidth service provider, announced today that it has completed its most recent expansion of its industry-leading all-fiber network in southern New Hampshire. The 65-mile network expansion includes new routes to business centers and data centers in New Hampshire’s most vibrant business districts.

The New Hampshire network extension grows the Lightower Network into major Granite State communities including Salem, Manchester, Merrimack, Nashua, as well as neighboring towns in the southern region of the state. New Hampshire businesses now have access to Lightower’s complete suite of all-fiber networking and broadband products and services that range from dark fiber and Ethernet services, to wavelengths, Internet access, SONET, and collocation.

“Lightower is aggressively expanding the reach and power of its all-fiber network within key markets throughout the Northeast,” said Rob Shanahan, CEO of Lightower. “We are excited to complete the extension of our network into New Hampshire, which enables enterprise and carrier customers to take advantage of our high-bandwidth solutions and to connect to commercial buildings, data centers, and financial exchanges, throughout our growing footprint.”

All Lightower services are available to on-net buildings and facilities in area towns including Salem, Manchester, Merrimack, and Nashua.

Lightower’s New Hampshire network expansion offers area businesses the following features:

Ethernet services from 10 Mbps to 10 Gbps
Wavelength services to 40 Gbps
Dark fiber availability
Diverse routing and diverse entrance options may be available
Custom designed building access, tower access, and facility access

Lightower is one of the largest metro fiber providers in the United States. New Hampshire customers can leverage Lightower’s end-to-end fiber networking solutions to connect with any other area within Lightower’s footprint including Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey and New York, spanning New York City, Long Island, and the Hudson Valley.

About Lightower Fiber Networks

Lightower Fiber Networks is a leading fiber network and broadband service provider in the Northeast, offering over 5,800 fiber route miles coupled with comprehensive transport, alternative access, and nationwide long haul services. Lightower’s fiber footprint extends from New England, to eastern New York State, northern New Jersey, Long Island, and New York City. With access to over 2,300 buildings, Lightower offers unparalleled regional density, performance, scalability, security, and reliability in the Northeast. Lightower Fiber is headquartered in Boxborough, MA. For more information, visit www.lightower.com or call 888-LT-FIBER.

Level3 Global Crossing

Consolidation Continues – This Time with Level3 and Global Crossing

Level3 said Monday it will buy Global Crossing in a $3 billion all-stock deal, and in so doing, create a a three continent, 70 country telecom behemoth. What does telecom consolidation mean for enterprise customers and agents? In a recent article on telecom consolidation entitled “The Customer Perspective on Consolidation” NEF offered ideas and tips, including a warning:

When it comes to consolidation, it’s not the size of the deals that matter. Instead, it’s the ramifications of each deal that could prove much more interesting and worth noting if you’re a bandwidth intensive enterprise. Consolidation results in many consequences within the industry, not the least of which is fewer options, especially for clients. Fewer options usually means price and service may not be as “customer friendly” as before. In addition, combined companies are forced to determine a direction on issues such as which company’s philosophy to embrace about each aspect of the business, and the acquirer’s way typically wins out.

In March, Mike Murphy sat on a panel at Channel Partners Expo, an agent-focused event, discussing the impact of consolidation on agents. Read the story>>

Full release on Level3′s Acquisition of Global Crossing here>>

Sidera Agent Program

Sidera & NEF – A Winning Combination

Leverage NEF’s long-standing relationship for higher commissions & fast quote turns

NEF and Sidera have made it official. NEF has had a long-term referral partnership with Sidera and was chosen as a partner among the inaugural group of select agents. Because NEF is a professional organization specializing in high cap services, bandwidth intensive networks and special requirements such as low latency and diverse paths – it was a natural fit for Sidera, which offers scalable and affordable transport services along unique routes.

Both Sidera and NEF share the values of high touch service and responsiveness, delivering on promises, and offering best of breed consultation and support before, during and after the sale. That commitment to stellar service doesn’t stop with the customer – Sidera believes it must also treat its agents with the same exemplary level of service.

For their agent program, Sidera is banking on the adage to measure twice and cut once. They formally launched their agent program in March, but in order to ensure a successful program for the agent community and for customers, Sidera deliberately limited the number of agents accepted in the first wave. Because of the limited acceptance, they have been particularly selective in adding agents with proven track records and strategic alignment with Sidera. NEF fit the mold and was selected among the first group.

As a long-standing referral partner of Sidera, NEF is able to leverage an existing book of business for higher commission rates and expedited turnaround on quotes, which means your customers get the best rates and the most responsive service/support.

“Sidera’s sweet spot is serving those organizations that use their network as an extension of their business,” offers Maura Mahoney, VP of Marketing & Business Development at Sidera. “As a provider, we do what we say we’re going to do; it’s nothing fancy. We pride ourselves on being responsive and staying focused on the needs of our customers.”

If you are looking for information on Sidera’s network, talk with NEF. Sidera offers a comprehensive suite of services including transport services along diverse routes and select managed services. Because of their presence from Maine to Virginia and out to Chicago, including multiple financial exchanges, they cater to latency and diversity sensitive customers such as financial services institutions, wireless carriers, large enterprises, etc.

Contact NEF for more details on Sidera’s network and lit buildings, as well as how you can leverage the agent program through NEF.

Trend Alert: Telecom Carriers Acquiring Data Centers

There is a new trend happening right now in our industry in which telecommunication carriers have begun to acquire data center companies. The recent acquisition of Terremark by Verizon is the most obvious example of a recent trend that brings network providers full circle into the data center business.

During the telecom and Dotcom boom many of the telecommunications and Internet providers had thriving data center businesses. Their facilities were full to capacity with every form of dotcom company promising exponential bandwidth growth. When the bubble burst, many of the tenants of the data centers where lost to bankruptcy leaving the network providers with empty space and reduced demand for bandwidth. In an effort to stabilize their network business, many of the telecom companies sold off their data center operations.

Over the last 5 years, we’ve seen a huge increase in the amount of bandwidth required at data centers by large brick and mortar enterprise companies. As a result, a trend has emerged where telecom carriers are now starting to acquire data center operations. With an estimated 80% of high bandwidth traffic passing through data centers, it is easy to see why it is logical for telecom carriers to add data centers back into their operations.

In January Verizon acquired Terramark for $1.4 billion, which is reportedly the largest acquisition by dollar amount of its kind. Similarly, Time Warner Cable acquired Navisite, and Windstream has acquired Hosted Solutions.

There are a few things to bear in mind when evaluating this trend. Today’s data center market is fragmented from the standpoint that there are a number of larger national providers and a slew of regional providers. Beyond that, there are a handful of small independent data centers. This trend is the first foray into the large national corporations buying the regional providers, raising the question: Is this a sign that we will be seeing more consolidation in the data center market? And who will be driving it?

Furthermore, if telecom carriers own the data center facilities and the network that connects to the data center, will we begin to see a change in some of the policies around carrier neutrality at data center sites?

As this industry trend continues to develop, it will be necessary to keep an eye on the overall health and welfare of the data center marketplace. We may see that consolidation offers customers cost-break benefits since their carrier owns the data center and the bandwidth running to it. However, we may also find the acquisition activity gives customers less flexibility in choosing their carriers. Only time will tell.

Learn more about the vendor neutral data center companies NEF has relationships with, and take advantage of our complimentary Data Center Concierge services today.

Announcing the New FiberLocator Website

NEF is proud to announce the launch of FiberLocator’s new website: www.FiberLocator.com. FiberLocator is an online application developed by NEF to give companies on-demand access to source maps and network data from an easy-to-use online portal.

FiberLocator gives you access to valuable fiber map resources designed to facilitate and streamline the process for companies seeking optical fiber network access and lit building information. The new website is set up with easy to use portals for:

Leveraging the industry’s best network consulting services
Accessing the most comprehensive database of maps and feasibility studies
Exploring nearby data centers, their carriers, validating networks and more
Listing network assets for purchase
Time saving network brokerage program

FiberLocator is the most comprehensive, accurate and most up-to-date asset-based telecommunications databases in the industry covering over 150 facility-based carriers, 150,000 lit buildings and over 1,400 data centers in over 120 metro areas across the U.S. Contact NEF to learn more about ordering your FiberLocator account today.

Why Waste Capacity?

Do you have un-used or under-utilized network bandwidth? NEF’s Asset Marketplace is a way for companies who have excess fiber or infrastructure to market and monetize these assets. NEF has created a single destination for telecom and network professionals to list, research and request information on high capacity network assets as well as complementary offerings for sale. Whether you are interested in buying or selling, the NEF marketplace can be your one-stop-shop for fiber resources. Here is a sampling of some of what you can find in the NEF Asset Marketplace:

Dark fiber along 5 segments of a new fiber route in Illinois
Miami data center and metro conduit system
Multi-duct conduit systems in Charlotte, NC
Dark fiber capacity in a recently constructed Michigan fiber network

Why let un-used or under-utilized assets just sit around doing nothing when there is a way to get the most out your fiber network or data center. View the current asset listings in the NEF Asset Marketplace or find out how you can list your properties today.

Fibertech New Jersey Network Expansion

NEF partner news out of Fibertech — a network expansion to be completed by year-end will give customers in the Northeast a diverse path option from Atlantic City to Philadelphia. Read the release below and talk with NEF to learn more about Fibertech’s suite of services.

Fibertech Networks Embarks On Major New Jersey Network Expansion

Adding More Than 700 Miles of Fiber Optic Connectivity; Building Diverse Route from Atlantic City to Philadelphia To Meet Increased Customer Demand

March 14, 2011 – Rochester, NY

Fibertech Networks, a leading regional provider of fiber optic bandwidth services, today announced it is expanding its existing network footprint in Central and Southern New Jersey by more than 700 route miles. The expansion is due to recently signed agreements with major wireless carriers, Fortune 100 financial institutions, and a prominent healthcare system in the area. The new network expansion is expected to be complete by year-end 2011.

The new routes encompass a diverse fiber optic connection from Philadelphia to Atlantic City, a unique path from Trenton to Perth Amboy, and will further develop the company’s existing density throughout New Jersey. Local businesses in the area will have new broadband choices with these direct, end-to-end fiber optic connections.

View the full release>>

Plan to attend Consolidation Panel at Channel Partners

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEF’s Michael Murphy to Sit on Consolidation Panel at Channel Partners Conference & Expo

Murphy Will Discuss Positive Side Carrier Consolidation for Agents

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. (March 10, 2011) – NEF, a leading telecommunications brokerage and consulting firm focused on dark fiber, colocation and high-capacity bandwidth, announces today that CEO, Michael Murphy, will present at the Channel Partners Conference & Expo March 13-15, 2011, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Murphy will serve as a subject matter expert and panelist for the session “Managing Consolidating Carriers” on Monday, March 14, along with notable telecom lawyer, Ben Bronston, and Jeff Howe, Sr. Vice President, President of Central Region, of PAETEC Communications. The one hour session will be moderated by the Senior Editor at Channel Partners, Kelly Teal.

Consolidation is a hot topic for the agent community, and the rampant telecom M&A activity does spell change for the indirect channel. Some view consolidation as potentially negative, resulting in higher prices and uncertain agent philosophies and solution sets, but Murphy is of the belief that consolidation can be a good thing for agents. Among other things, it can give agents the chance to get more in touch with customers and understand their evolving requirements.

“Good agents have always been able to weather change,” said Murphy. “I plan to offer ideas and concrete steps agents can take to not only protect their businesses, but also to better their relationships with their customers.”

While Murphy recognizes that carrier consolidation can have negative impacts on the indirect channel, he is quick to note that agents can stay ahead of the fallout by being proactive. By working with multiple carriers within target markets, checking the status of contracts as “transferrable” and by creating close relationships with carriers, agents can often protect themselves from the downside of consolidation.

Murphy commented, “The game is changing, but it doesn’t mean agents can’t play. I’m honored to be a part of this conversation and discuss how fewer ‘consolidated’ carriers will impact agents’ business models, compensation, contracts and ability to meet customer expectations.”

Murphy has more than 15 years of telecommunications sales and management experience, with 11 years working directly with large bandwidth connectivity and colocation for enterprises and agents. He has formed and cultivated strategic alliances and channel partnerships throughout the nation with a number of standard and non-standard providers. His extensive first-hand experience working with dark fiber, international networks, fiber optic network maps and colocation gives him a wide knowledge base in working with providers, agents and customers alike.

About NEF
NEF, Inc., is one of the nation’s top telecommunications brokerage and consulting firms, offering a combined 60 years of industry experience and a proven methodology for providing its customers with the best networks, information and pricing available. NEF provides a broad spectrum of solutions from dark fiber networks to high bandwidth, fully managed optical services. Through their many partners and carrier relationships, NEF designs custom connectivity solutions and provides access to over 150 fiber providers throughout the US and EU, 140,000 lit buildings and 1400+ data centers. For more information, visit www.NEFiber.com.

Media contact: Joy Milkowski, 720-939-5858

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Data Center Concierge Services

There’s a reason many hotels offer personal concierge services to their guests – it makes life easier for getting dinner reservations and scheduling travel activities. Likewise, NEF’s Data Center Concierge services can streamline the process of gathering data center quotes, saving you time and effort. NEF can research and validate claims BEFORE you go on tours and review service offerings to ensure they meet your requirements, creating time-saving efficiencies for your business. Here are some of the benefits of this service:

No Cost–NEF’s Data Center Conceirge services are offered free of charge. There’s no risk and no obligation. Simply receive the data center information you’re looking for quickly and easily.

Removes the Busywork – NEF experts provide you with a convenient summary of your data center and connectivity options. We will even coordinate, schedule and confirm data center facility tours on your behalf, so you can stay focused on more important things.

Work Directly with Vendors – we’re not situated between you and the data centers. We serve as a liaison with the data center, so you are able to work directly with the data center providers. Best of all – you can leverage our extensive network of provider relationships and there is no mark-up on pricing.
Only When You Need It – NEF’s services are available on an as needed/as wanted basis. Our first and only priority is aligning your business requirements with the right set of data center and connectivity services. In other words, we follow your lead and provide you with the right information and support you need to make an informed decision only WHEN you need it.

See the full range of NEF’s Data Center Concierge services and contact NEF today.

Allied Fiber Partners with NEF to Facilitate Dark Fiber Planning and Orders

Hot off the press – NEF is excited to share the following news with you:

Allied Fiber Partners with NEF to Facilitate Its Dark Fiber Network Planning and Sales Orders

NEW YORK, New York (January 11, 2011) – Allied Fiber announces today that the company has partnered with NEF, Inc. to facilitate order processing, verify network requirements, provide needs assessments and finalize contracts. NEF, one of the nation’s top telecommunications brokerage and consulting firms, designs custom connectivity solutions and maintains a leading telecom database, FiberLocator®, which maps over 100 fiber providers, 130,000 lit buildings and 1200+ data centers throughout the US. The partnership with NEF is a result of the enormous interest in Allied Fiber’s carrier-neutral fiber infrastructure model.

Allied Fiber is addressing the needs for increasing national broadband demand by providing much needed access to new dark fiber, colocation facilities and fiber-fed wireless towers on a network-neutral, open-access basis throughout the United States. The user community for these physical-layer services ranges from submarine cable systems, large international and domestic wireline and wireless carriers and network operators to small rural carriers, cooperatives, cable television companies and data center operators.

“NEF was selected based on their expertise, relationships and robust technology tools, including FiberLocator®, a network intelligence and mapping software platform encompassing hundreds of high capacity network providers,” states Hunter Newby, CEO of Allied Fiber. “We look forward to
this partnership as we move through the design completion and execution stage of customer orders.”

“NEF has nearly two decades of experience designing and deploying high bandwidth solutions,” states Mike Murphy, President of NEF. “NEF will serve as both a processing agent for orders in queue as well as a sales and marketing entity for new orders on Allied Fiber’s network. Allied is building a next-generation fiber route that is critical to network growth in the US, and NEF is
excited to assist in executing this plan.”

Through the unique capabilities of NEF’s FiberLocator®, prospective buyers gain access not only to the Allied Fiber system, but also other regional and metro fiber networks that feed in to Allied Fiber. This provides a complete picture for those in need of last mile, middle mile, short-haul and long-haul dark fiber and lit services. Based upon the evident customer demand, the first phase of the Allied Fiber system will now provide a combined 744 dark fibers and nineteen 1000+ square foot colocation facilities. These facilities will provide access for numerous data centers and hundreds of tower sites, all integrated into one system from one provider, creating a new standard for physical layer interconnection. Building new, shortest path, physical duct and fiber routes combined with modern fiber will allow lower latencies as well as higher capacities to be achieved between these points. For more information, please visit www.alliedfiber.com.

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About Allied Fiber

Allied Fiber was created to address America’s need to eliminate obstacles for broadband access, wireless backhaul and lower latency through new, next generation long-haul dark fiber and an open access philosophy. The Allied Fiber team is comprised of experts in the fields of communications, network construction and finance. They are dedicated to building and providing access to an abundant supply of dark fiber in areas where it is most needed. The first phase of new duct and fiber construction will be between New York, NY, Ashburn, VA and Chicago, IL. For more information, please visit www.alliedfiber.com.

Media Contact for Allied Fiber:

Jaymie Scotto & Associates, LLC

+1.866.695.3629

pr@jaymiescotto.com

About NEF

NEF, Inc., is one of the nation’s top telecommunications brokerage and consulting firms, offering a combined 60 years of industry experience and a proven methodology for providing its customers with the best networks, information and pricing available. NEF can provide a broad spectrum of products from dark fiber solutions to high bandwidth, fully managed optical services. Through their many partners and carrier relationships, NEF designs custom connectivity solutions and maintains a leading telecom database, FiberLocator, which maps over 100 fiber providers, 130,000 lit buildings and 1200+ data centers throughout the US. For more information, visit
www.NEFiber.com.

Media Contact for NEF

Access Marketing Company

Joy Milkowski

720-939-5858

joy@accessmarketingcompany.com

Lit Buildings…No, We’re Not Talking Christmas Lights!

If you asked a kid this time of year what a “lit building” means, chances are they’d say a house that is decorated with lots of twinkling Christmas lights. If you asked them how to go about finding a lit building, they’d probably just tell you to wait till it’s dark and take a drive down the street in your neighborhood.

While this merits a few chuckles from those of us who know better, many are still left in the dark when it comes time to go about finding lit buildings and fiber optic network maps. Thankfully, NEF’s online application, FiberLocator, gives you on-demand access to source maps and network data from an easy-to-use online portal. The advanced search functionality even allows you to query down to the address level to find a lit building.

Why should you find a lit building and know the connectivity providers in the first place? Simple: when carriers compete, you win. If you are a business looking to change/upgrade your telecom service in your existing building, knowing the various providers can give you negotiating leverage and help you get the best service and SLA for your budget. If you’re renting or buying new space, finding a lit building is the most cost effective alternative for fast and robust connections because the fiber optical network is already present, eliminating the need to invest additional capital in setting up a network with your desired carrier. And finally, if you are a commercial real estate broker, finding lit buildings for your clients gives them access to the high bandwidth they need to do business more affordably and effectively – and sets you apart from your competition.

See how FiberLocator can help you find a lit building now. After you’re done finding a lit building on FiberLocator, you can take a drive around the neighborhood with your kids to enjoy their version of “lit buildings” as well.

Merry Christmas from the entire team at NEF!

Google 111 8th New York

Google Buys 111 8th – But Leaves Even More Questions Lingering

Citing only that 111 Eighth “is a great real estate investment in a thriving neighborhood and a fantastic city” in a feel-good announcement on their official blog, Google confirms the purchase of the 2.9 million square foot building, also a colocation and connectivity hotbed, for $1.9 billion. Also listed as 76 Ninth Avenue, the building at 111 8^th New York, NY, is home to several tenants, most notably colocation providers and network carriers in what is one of the most concentrated carrier hotels around.

What does Google plan to do with the space and more importantly, what is the future of the data center and carrier tenants? How does this purchase factor into their control over Internet infrastructure? How much will costs go up for everyone? These questions and more linger regarding the fate of one of the hottest addresses in telecom and data centers.

Looking to connect with high cap network services at 111 8^th New York or get colocation at 111 8th? Get the facts and know your options. Get maps, carrier data, colocation options and more from FiberLocator along with expertise in dark fiber, high bandwidth networks, including low latency networks, from NEF. You can also use the Data Center Concierge service to research the various data centers at 111 8th and book data center tours.

Fiber Optics Transmit 3D Video of Titanic

When the Titanic set off on her maiden voyage from England on April 10, 1912, it was the largest passenger steamship in the world. Four days into the journey across the Atlantic, the ship hit an iceberg and sank—resulting in the deaths of 1,517 people. Since then, the story of the Titanic has become a timeless legend.

Since its discovery in 1985, there have been several research and recovery expeditions to the sunken vessel. 98 years after the Titanic met its watery grave, a new type of discovery mission was launched—and was made successful with the help of fiber optic technology. The goal of the research expedition was to map and document the Titanic site with the long-term goal of creating and archaeological management plan.

Fiber optic technology played a major role in the research expedition in August. One of the robotic submarines that traced a grid measuring the wreck site, the Remora 6000, was attached to the research ship by a fiber optic tether. As the robotic submarine dove 2.5 miles under the sea, technology aboard the Remora 6000 transmitted 3D HDTV video and other data via fiber up to the ship.

The video-over-fiber transmission technology was employed in several configurations on the Titanic project. At one point the Advanced Imaging and Visualization Lab at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution used over eight HD and UHDTV cameras on the Remora plus some other devices whose signals were multiplexed and sent back to the main ship over a single strand of single mode fiber running more than 32,000 feet.

The thousands of transmitted photos were fused with “location” data, while the 3D cameras closely photographed the bow and stern. When all the imaging was merged with acoustic data, researchers were able to produce the largest ship wreck site photomosaic ever made.

NBC’s Coverage of The First 3D Titanic Images

To learn more about the benefits of fiber optic technology, fiber optic maps and the customized uses for your business needs, contact NEF to talk with our experts.

AboveNet to Offer Express Routes in Chicago

Last week NEF Partner, AboveNet, announced it is “raising the bar” and expanding its data network in Chicago with new fiber optic “express routes” that will offer some of the lowest latency fiber routes between downtown Chicago and the western suburbs. The new network routes bypass more than 23 miles of existing fiber footprint surrounding the Chicago suburban areas, and are expected to provide the shortest data paths available between the city center and suburban business hubs.

With the new fiber optic routes, AboveNet customers, including data centers and their clientele, financial institutions and exchanges, will have access to one of Chicago’s fastest, high bandwidth connectivity solutions for their business-critical data communications. These new shorter routes are ideal for these enterprise and financial organizations requiring low latency connectivity or considering data replication to facilities in the western suburbs.

The new AboveNet routes are expected to be completed by mid-year 2011, and NEF has special access to AboveNet pricing and service. Talk with us about AboveNet network solutions today.

FiberLight Launches $20 Million Fiber-Optic Network in Baltimore

FiberLight held a ribbon cutting ceremony at Baltimore Technology Park to announce the launch of a $20 million 104-mile fully diverse fiber optic network. The new network will augment its existing 123-mile Baltimore network and 299-mile Virginia and D.C. networks by extending the 100% underground optical backbone past the downtown business district to connect the growing cities of Laurel, Columbia, Elkridge and Greenbelt, while providing greater diversity to the region.

The city of Baltimore is excited about the future economic impact the new fiber optic infrastructure will have for its citizens and businesses. “As a growing business, FiberLight recognizes the need for other businesses to have better access to the cloud, secure storage area networks and data centers such as Baltimore Technology Park,” said Kevin Coyne, Fiber Light’s President and COO. “Just as this network will support the growing needs of the existing businesses in Baltimore and the state, the connectivity and the capabilities that FiberLight is making available now will help bring new business to Maryland and stimulate the local economy.”

FiberLight wholly owns its 500,000 fiber mile network and offers robust metro networks in 21 metros within Georgia, Florida, Washington, D.C., Texas, Virginia and Maryland, as well as Wide Area Networking options at layer 1, 2 and 3 to major commercial hubs throughout the country.

For more information on FiberLight’s network and solutions, contact NEF.

For more information on FiberLight’s network and solutions, contact NEF.uch as Baltimore Technology Park,” said Kevin Coyne, Fiber Light’s President and COO. “Just as this network will support the growing needs of the existing businesses in Baltimore and the state, the connectivity and the capabilities that FiberLight is making available now will help bring new business to Maryland and stimulate the local economy.”

For more information on FiberLight’s network and solutions, contact NEF.

PSC Approves FiberNet Sale

Today the West Virginia Public Service Commission issued approval for the sale of telecommunications provider FiberNet to nTelos for $170 million. West Virginia became the last of six states to approve the sale. The FCC is reviewing the proposed acquisition of the company. The acquisition of FiberNet will make nTelos the second-largest telecommunications provider in West Virginia.

The state PSC cited nTelos’ financial strength and its pledge to spend at least $40 million over the next three years in West Virginia as reasons for approving the sale. As a condition of the sale sparked by a couple of recent FiberNet service outages in October, nTelos and FiberNet must advise the West Virginia Division of Homeland Security Emergency Management and any affected 911 centers of a service interruption or outage during the transition.

Currently, FiberNet provides service to approximately 100,000 land lines—mostly for business—in six states including OH, MD, PA, KY and VA, with the majority of the lines located in West Virginia. nTelos provides service to approximately 85,000 land lines and about 400,000 wireless customers in West Virginia and surrounding states.

NEF can help you create a standard network with non-standard network providers. Beyond the LEC and known universe of CLECs, NEF has access to hundreds of other fiber providers and can bring orders of magnitude savings in your telecom costs. Talk with us today.

Sidera Networks’ NSXDirect will power National Stock Exchanges “Exchange in a Box” Network Solution

NEF partner Sidera Networks (previously known as RCN Metro) announced this today:

Sidera Networks, a premier provider of fiber optic-based network solutions, announced it has been chosen as the foundation on which the National Stock Exchange, Inc. (NSX®) will offer its “Exchange in a Box” network solution.

The Sidera Networks team engineered a dedicated, layer 2 network running over an ultra-low latency wavelength platform delivering efficient and seamless connectivity to NSX in support of their Exchange in a Box network solution. The Exchange in a Box network solution enables firms to quickly cross-connect with NSX, further reducing latency and fees for NSX’s member firms.

“As technology plays a critical role in today’s market structure, NSX is committed to developing innovative market efficiencies for its customers,” said Joseph S. Rizzello, NSX Chief Executive Officer. “Exchange in a Box embodies our dedication to developing solutions that meet the needs of our customers and represents a significant breakthrough in pricing, speed and connectivity.”

“We partnered with Sidera to create a new and proprietary network that allows customers to connect with NSX in a very timely and cost-effective manner,” said Saro Jahani, NSX Chief Information Officer. “The Exchange in a Box network solution provides connectivity to NSX via any of the major financial data centers in the New York Metro area at a reduced cost, enabling NSX customers to take advantage of micro-second connections.”

“This tailored network solution our team designed is a revolutionary concept that will dramatically improve speed and scalability for NSX’s member firms,” said Mike Sicoli, CEO of Sidera Networks. “The high-capacity, resilient and reliable infrastructure of NSXDirect is designed to meet the demanding requirements of the financial services industry. Our ability to deliver low-latency connections between key exchanges and data centers will enhance NSX’s services and provide its customers a competitive advantage.”

NSXDirect network leverages Sidera’s Xtreme network, a low latency network purpose built to support the needs of the financial services industry. Sidera’s Xtreme Network utilizes ROADM technology. This ROADM-based architecture allows for minimal Optical-Electrical-Optical (O-E-O) conversions, providing low latency routes across a network of nodes strategically located in major data centers vital to the financial services industry.

For more information on Sidera’s network and solutions, contact NEF.

Q&A—The Basics of Dark Fiber

There are many questions regarding dark fiber as it relates to the myriad choices in high capacity optical networks. NEF has created this quick guide to dark fiber to answer common dark fiber questions and give you the information you need.

What is Dark Fiber?

Dark fiber is optical fiber infrastructure that is in place but is not presently being utilized. In the simplest terms, it is another name for optical glass fibers that have been installed, either underground or on poles, but do not have any electronics or lasers attached. As these installations are unused, they are described as “dark”.

Who Uses Dark Fiber and Why?

Corporations are utilizing dark fiber to increase the capacity and flexibility of their WANs, or to connect to the telecommunications service provider(s) of their choosing. With customer provided dark fiber connecting to the carrier POPs, the customer can increase bandwidth, turn up additional circuits or even change service providers with a moment’s notice.

Why Do Telecom Carriers Lease Dark Fiber?

Dark fiber was once used exclusively by large telecommunications carriers who leased the fiber(s) and “lit” multiple circuits over a single path. The benefit to carriers was that they could buy or lease strands of fiber and utilize their own electronics and turn up as much bandwidth, or as many customer circuits as they wanted… without the need to upgrade their networks every time a customer needed more bandwidth or wanted to add another circuit.

Is Dark Fiber Expensive?

Today the cost of dark fiber and the associated electronics required to light dark fiber have become very affordable and easy to use. In fact, optical gear has become so easy to install and use, it has been compared to installing and managing a T1 router. Large and even medium sized corporations can utilize dark fiber and enjoy the same benefits and cost savings as the carriers.

Will Dark Fiber Become Outdated?

Because dark fiber is just the medium on which the waves of light travel, it is technology neutral. Any application and any protocol can be transmitted over it, so the investment is protected long into the future.

NEF designs custom dark fiber solutions based on your needs and specifications to bring you the best communications network at the most competitive price. Talk with us today.

Lightower Fiber Networks Continues to Build Legacy

The demand for connectivity driven by increasingly bandwidth-intensive business and consumer platforms has transformed the US telecom industry. One of the most obvious evolutions is the new wave of telecom consolidation that has opened the door for several emerging emerging competitive local exchange carriers. NEF partner Lightower Fiber Networks is one notable example of such a leader. Lightower was recently featured in an article on FierceTelecom, and some highlights from the article help shed light on Lightower:

Since 2007, CEO Rob Shanahan has lead Lightower on a path of organic growth and M&A activity to beef up its regional and nationwide fiber network footprint. In addition to expanding its long-haul network capabilities, Lightower has been making expansions in strategic metro areas such as Boston, New York, and Hudson Valley.

Shortly after Shanahan was hired, he helped broker a deal to purchase DataNet and KeySpan Communications’ fiber assets, which more than tripled Lightower’s available route miles. Lightower continues to strategically add more components and routes to its growing fiber network along with low-latency fiber-based services as it expands its network. For example, Lightower acquired Lexent Metro Connect to provide additional low-latency routes between New York City and New Jersey financial exchanges and data centers.

As Lightower continues to build out its fiber network and service arsenal through M&A and organic growth, the challenge Shanahan will face is maintaining consistency across all Lightower’s properties in the years to come.

NEF works with Lightower to provide networking solutions such as Ethernet, dark fiber, wavelengths, SONET, colocation and more. NEF can also source low latency solutions through Lightower and other carrier partners. Ask us for more information on low latency networks.

Top Reasons to Buy Dark Fiber

Jaymie Scotto recently posted an interesting article on the top reasons to buy dark fiber on Telecom News Now. Here are some of the highlights:

Control

Companies want control of their networks and the solution offerings that carry the data communications they enable. Having the core base fiber, dark fiber, is the way to get full control over a network. “Dark fiber is the raw fiber, in the ground, along a specific route that is just waiting to be lit. It’s the Light, when the fiber is lit, that enables the carriage of data communications. Routes can be diverse, but the most control is on the electronics and equipment that companies use to light the fiber. With a variety of very capable and leading vendors to choose from – the control is all yours.”

State-Of-The-Art

Dark fiber is “state-of-the-art” technology that when combined with the latest and greatest telecommunications technologies enable a vast amount of communications to be carried throughout a network.

Flexibility

“Dark fiber can be lit, re-lit and then lit again.” Dark fiber gives the flexibility of switching out equipment to leverage the most up-to-date technologies and increase your level of service without having to forklift an entire network.

Expandable

A dark fiber network system can grow as a business grows. The flexibility to add software enhancements to increase the network capability along with the control of knowing what the fixed costs are, provides the ability to expand the bandwidth and capability of your network along with your footprint.

Accessible

To learn more about how affordable and accessible dark fiber can be, contact NEF and discover our state-of-the art dark fiber network solutions.

New Zayo Colocation Data Center in Nashville

With a holistic view on networks including connectivity, equipment, colocation and more, NEF works with best of breed providers such as Zayo Colocation (zColo) to source data center, colocation and managed services. zColo has announced the expansion of its services into Nashville, Tennessee. Its new assets include a 15,400 square foot data center facility located in downtown Nashville where the company will provide colocation, interconnection and bandwidth services to carrier and enterprise customers.

Zayo Colocation’s new Nashville facility has 9,000 square feet of colocation space built out with approximately 3,500 square feet of expansion space, of which, only 5% is currently being utilized. This investment is the latest in a series of major investments by Zayo in the state of Tennessee, which started in 2007. The Nashville data center will accompany zColo’s other premier colocation facilities assets in the New York/New Jersey metro market, Los Angeles and Chicago.

Zayo Colocation is a wholly owned subsidiary of Zayo Group and is the exclusive operator of the 60 Hudson Street Meet-Me-Room.

Over 85% of high capacity networks have a data center component, and NEF works with data center and colocation providers to provide true end-to-end networks. Ask us about a data center network or your high capacity optical needs today.

AboveNet to Connect Virginia Tech Research Facilities and Data Centers

NEF carrier partner AboveNet announced on Tuesday it will connect Virginia Tech data centers and research locations to help the university meet the demanding requirements for high-end computational research. The connected facilities will fuel the exchange of key data among Virginia Tech’s dispersed research facilities, corporate partners and larger academic community.
The 90-mile AboveNet fiber optic infrastructure ring will provide connectivity between Virginia Tech’s new state-of-the-art research institute in Arlington and key data centers and campus sites in Northern Virginia. The new institute provides a platform for the University’s engineering and computational science researchers to interact with counterparts in academia, government and industry around the region, while serving as a link to the research and development base at the main campus in Blacksburg. Once connected, the AboveNet ring will help the University meet its needs and serve as a gateway to the multitude of research networks and institutions in Northern Virginia.
One connection on the ring is Virginia Tech’s National Capital Region Aggregation Facility which is a central hub for national and international research networks including National LambdaRail, Internet2, Mid-Atlantic Crossroads, and several federal networks. Connecting these strategic resources together with AboveNet fiber will effectively put Virginia Tech’s new research institute “on-net” at the core of scientific and engineering research. “Our ability to connect multiple research locations and partners is key to establishing a major presence in this area,” said Dr. James Bohland, vice president and executive director, Virginia Tech operations in the National Capital Region.
Interested in learning more about AboveNet’s network in Virginia or in any of their locations? Contact NEF today. NEF’s relationship with AboveNet along with its deep understanding of fiber optic infrastructure can help you establish the network that’s best for you.

Featured BC/DR Data Center Facility Review – Boston BC/DR Facility Adjacent to Lake Quannapowitt

Located along the 128 technology corridor, this BC/DR data center is located near the shores of Lake Quannapowitt in Wakefield, Massachusetts. The datacenter is actually housed in two adjacent structures. The first is a four-story, 168,000 square foot building located at 100 Quannapowitt Parkway. The second location is at 200 Quannapowitt Parkway and is a two-story 220,000 square foot building used as an office, research and development facility as well as data center. Both are easily accessible from major roadways.

One of the highlights of this location is the existence of a covered parking facility in addition to outside parking spaces. In addition this facility offers:

Excellent power supply
Multiple carrier options
Flexible space configurations
Additional services as needed by client
Affordable pricing and favorable contract terms

NEF can assist you in scheduling a tour of this location or provide you with an in-depth briefing on the features, availability and costs. A FiberLocator Map is also available to show the carriers serving this location. Whether you need a comparison of facilities and networks or you need full-scale procurement services, NEF can help. For more information about either this location, or other Boston based colo facilities, contact NEF today or search free on FindADataCenter.com.

Featured Midwest Secondary Data Center Review – Downtown Business Continuance Facility, St. Louis

Today’s featured facility is 210 North Tucker, St. Louis, Missouri. An ideal location for low cost data center services, wholesale data center space and backup datacenter colocation, this facility has many benefits for Midwest enterprises and growing companies.

This facility was originally built in 1970, but completely remodeled in 1999 to include all of the mandatory data center requirements, such as complex heating and cooling systems, power service redundancies, and heightened security protection. It houses over 200,000 square feet of space in a non-descript building which is centrally located within the city.

St. Louis is well served by an abundance of carriers, and this location is perfectly situated to work with virtually all of them. One of the most popular features of this facility is the extremely low power costs – just 4.5 cents per kilowatt hour. Because of the large size of this location, it can accommodate a huge assortment of layout configurations. Additional services are also available.

The facility offers flexible terms and affordable pricing, especially for a business continuance/disaster recovery center centrally located in a major US city.

Contact NEF to schedule a tour of this location or request a FiberLocator Map to view intelligence on all area facility options and networks available. NEF can also assist with a free evaluation of this facility, as well as other facilities in the St. Louis area, based on your datacenter needs. Start a free data center search now at FindADataCenter.com.

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