Zayo upgrades domestic, international Ethernet backbone to 100G

Zayo has upgraded its Ethernet backbone from 10G to 100G, a move that it says will support the growing bandwidth needs of its retail and wholesale service provider customers.

The 100G points of presence (PoP) will be initially accessible through key cities in the U.S. and Europe, including Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, San Jose, Seattle, New York, Washington, D.C., Amsterdam, Frankfurt, London and Paris. Zayo said it will expand into additional markets as needed.

Jennifer M. Fritzsche, senior analyst for Wells Fargo, wrote in a research report that Zayo's upgrade is consistent with the overall service provider movement to 100G.

"While this news was expected, the upgrade supports our thesis that rapid bandwidth demand is compelling network operators like Zayo to upgrade ports in data center, enterprise, metro and long-haul networks," wrote Jennifer M. Fritzsche, senior analyst for Wells Fargo, in a research report. "This news is also consistent with a recent survey by Heavy Reading which showed 60% of equipment manufacturers for telecom and networking equipment were shipping systems with 100G ports, more than doubling since 2013."

Fritzsche added that "These network upgrades fit right into Zayo's sweet spot, as Zayo has the scale and scope to capitalize on this bandwidth growth." 

Upgrading its Ethernet backbone to 100G comes at a time when the service provider has been expanding the reach of its long haul fiber network with recent additional routes including Atlanta to Washington, D.C. and Phoenix to Dallas. 

Existing and new Zayo customers have the option to purchase Zayo's Ethernet services, including getting access to its expanded 100G backbone through its online shopping and self-service platform Tranzact.

For more:
- see the release

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