U.S. metro fiber and bandwidth provider Lightower Fiber Networks reports it has bolstered its presence in the greater Baltimore, MD, region with a 270-route-mile fiber-optic network expansion.
Lightower’s latest fiber network expansion includes new fiber-optic cable throughout downtown Baltimore and in the busy Baltimore-Washington corridor. This expansion connects the greater Baltimore area to data centers in Ashburn and Sterling, VA, where Lightower recently completed a 400-mile expansion (see “Lightower upgrades metro Washington, DC, fiber-optic network”).
The Baltimore area has shown strong demand for the kind of high-performance bandwidth that can only be effectively served via fiber-optic networks, the operator asserts. Lightower says its expansion in the area will bring fiber to hundreds of new service locations, including commercial buildings, data centers, health care facilities, educational facilities, and government locations.
“Baltimore and the surrounding areas are renowned for research and development, health care, education and government,” said Rob Shanahan, CEO of Lightower. “These types of organizations demand fantastic amounts of bandwidth, and every year that demand increases. The trick is getting the fiber network to where the customers need it. These dynamics of the marketplace are proving that metro networks are becoming increasingly important in the end-to-end delivery of high-bandwidth solutions. At Lightower, we will continue to invest aggressively to bring our network to more and more customers.”
Cities and towns along the Lightower network expansion include:
- Anne Arundel County, MD (Fort Meade, Hanover and others)
- Baltimore, MD
- Baltimore County, MD
- Howard County, MD (Annapolis Junction, Columbia, Elkridge, Ellicott City, and others)
- Montgomery County, MD (Gaithersburg, Germantown, North Bethesda, Rockville, and others)
- Prince George’s County, MD (Beltsville, Laurel, and others)
- The I-270 biotech and life sciences corridor.
Lightower says cities along the route will now have access to its complete portfolio of fiber-based services, including Ethernet services up to 100 Gbps; wavelength services up to 100 Gbps; dedicated Internet access at speeds up to 10 Gbps; data center and cloud connectivity; connectivity for video transport, private networks, and mobile backhaul; and dark fiber.
For more information on high-speed transmission systems and suppliers, visit the Lightwave Buyer’s Guide.
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