Zayo Ethernet backbone moves to 100G

Fiber-optic network bandwidth provider Zayo Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: ZAYO) says it has upgraded its Ethernet backbone to accommodate 100-Gbps. The upgrade includes the installation of 100G-capable points of presence (PoPs) across its domestic and international fiber-optic backbone. The new capabilities will enable Zayo to offer Ethernet services up to 40G between cities and across the Atlantic and 100 Gbps in metro areas on a native 100G port in point-to-point or multipoint configurations.

Zayo has offered metro 100G in select locations for some time (see, for example, "Zayo rolls out metro 100G wavelengths in Europe"). It announced a move to 100G in 2012 (see "Zayo adds 100-Gbps optical transmission capability" and "Zayo deploys Infinera DTN-X to support 100GbE service delivery").

The company says 100G PoPs initially will be accessible in 12 markets throughout the U.S. and Europe: Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, San Jose, Seattle, New York, Washington, DC, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, London, and Paris. Zayo says it will add 100G capabilities to other markets "as needed."

"We continue to see strong demand for Ethernet bandwidth, driven by cloud and data center connectivity, custom private networks, and higher traffic needs at enterprise facilities," said Greg Friedman, vice president of the Ethernet business at Zayo. "By being an early adopter and upgrading our Ethernet backbone to 100G, customers now have the option to select from 10 Mbps to 100G of service, while still receiving inherent backbone protection, high performance and security, affordable pricing, and protocol familiarity that they require from Ethernet."

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