Everstream, a business-only fiber network, has launched into the greater Chicago market, focusing on the suburbs. By the end of 2020, Everstream's Chicago network is expected to encompass more than 500 of the planned 1,200 route miles. The first leg of the fiber network, spanning more than 50 route miles, will stretch from Elgin north to East Dundee, Carpentersville and Algonquin, east to Streamwood, Itasca and Addison, and end in Oak Brook to the south. It is scheduled to be lit in March.
"Unlike cities on the East Coast, where five or more competitive providers offer access to fiber networks alongside the phone and cable companies, most of the surrounding Chicago suburbs where Everstream plans to build are largely underserved," said Brian Bagenstose, partner, CMA Strategy Consulting. "This lack of competition is an opportunity for Everstream to provide high-capacity, low-latency connectivity services to enterprises that have been denied a real choice for business network solutions."
Everstream's Chicago network is planned to include:
- Plans to build a metro network of more than 1,200 miles in Chicago's northern, western and southern suburbs, and invest $56 million throughout the greater Chicago area
- Connectivity to three data centers in the Chicago area, with access to more than 30 additional data centers across the Midwest
- Direct connection to Everstream's expanding Midwest footprint
- A local office that is planned to grow to more than 20 new team members, including a sales team and dedicated field engineers
"Chicago presents a tremendous new opportunity for Everstream as we continue to grow our presence and bring enterprise-grade fiber services to businesses in the Midwest," said Everstream President and CEO Brett Lindsey. "Everstream is uniquely positioned to deliver both virtually unlimited bandwidth and the low-latency service levels required for optimal application performance, especially in the suburban Chicago area. The market is ripe for a business-only fiber provider like Everstream to come in and provide the robust services these businesses demand."
Everstream's network delivers business fiber services, including dedicated Internet access, dark fiber, Ethernet and data center solutions, as well as direct peering with major carriers and cloud hyperscalers. It can accommodate converged Internet, voice and data services at speeds of up to 100 Gbps.
The Chicago launch is part of Everstream's ongoing growth plan in select Midwest markets. The company expects to grow to more than 15,000 miles of fiber with more than 3,000 on-net locations in 12 markets throughout the Midwest by the end of 2020.