DF&I advances dark fiber partnership with DataBridge Sites
Dark Fiber and Infrastructure (DF&I), a developer, owner and operator of dark fiber and conduit networks, has expanded its partnership with DataBridge Sites. This data center provider supports off-site business-critical IT environments. Earlier, DataBridge Sites had added its Maryland facility on-net to DF&I’s Express Connect network.
One of the advantages that DF&I brings to the table is its unique network pathway. Its network features a proprietary under-river crossing from Maryland to Ashburn, Virginia, ensuring what it claims to be the most direct route to support lower latency for critical data.
Express Connect’s direct route traverses the Potomac River, avoiding the congested data routes in Washington D.C. to provide DataBridge Sites’ customers with the fastest access to Ashburn from Maryland. “With the Express Connect network, DataBridge Sites can offer the quickest, highest performing route due to the path being the shortest and most direct,” said Jim Weller, CEO of DataBridge Sites.
The exclusive river crossing route isn’t the only advantage to DataBridge Sites’ customers. Customers also benefit from on-net access via DF&I's dark fiber route because they have direct fiber interconnection to other data center facilities, carriers, and clouds on the Virginia-Maryland pathway. DF&I's Express Connect network covers Ashburn and ties in with other major networks and peering points in Maryland and northern Virginia.
Since the deal was initially announced nearly two years ago, the partnership has seen significant success. Carriers continue rolling backbone traffic onto the express as their new primary route into Ashburn and for direct underground connections north and east of the facility.
“The Express Connect network offers many great cross-connects to our clients, as it’s on-net to the most relevant data centers across the region,” said John Schmitt, DF&I’s co-founder and chief revenue officer.
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About the Author
Sean BuckleySean Buckley
Sean is the Editor-in-Chief of Lightwave. He establishes and executes Lightwave's editorial strategy across its website, email newsletters, events, and other information products. Before coming to Lightwave in July 2023, he served as editor of Broadband Communities. Earlier, he served as senior editor of FierceTelecom and the editor of the former Telecommunications Magazine. He got his start in the optical industry in 1998 when he became the editor of enterprise and optical networks at Information Gatekeepers. He has a BA in English from the University of Massachusetts, Boston, and lives in Dracut, Mass, with his wife, two sons, and his cat, Dove.
