Lumen remains at the top of VSG’s Mid-2021 U.S. Carrier Ethernet Services LEADERBOARD

Sept. 7, 2021

Six other carriers earned a place on the Mid-2021 U.S. Carrier Ethernet Services LEADERBOARD, which evaluates service provider performance based on retail port share as of June 30, 2021.

Stephen Hardy

Vertical Systems Group (VSG) has released its mid-year rankings of U.S. Carrier Ethernet services providers, with Lumen holding onto the top spot it occupied at the start of the year. Six other carriers earned a place on the Mid-2021 U.S. Carrier Ethernet Services LEADERBOARD, which evaluates service provider performance based on retail port share as of June 30, 2021.

Service providers must have a market share of at least 4% within the U.S. retail Ethernet services market to qualify for a rank on the LEADERBOARD. AT&T, Spectrum Enterprise, Verizon, Comcast, Cox, and Windstream joined Lumen at the halfway point of 2021, according to VSG’s figures. Lumen achieved the top spot upon its 2017 merger with Level 3 back in its CenturyLink days (see “CenturyLink will buy Level 3 for $34 billion”) and has maintained that position ever since, says VSG. The occupants of the LEADERBOARD tier didn’t change during the first six months of 2021, although Cox and Windstream switched positions in the rankings. Comcast had the highest port share growth in the first half of the year, VSG adds.

In addition to LEADERBOARD, VSG assigns market participants into Challenge and Market Player tiers. Challenge companies own between 1% and 4% of the market, and (in alphabetical order), Altice USA, Cogent, Frontier, GTT, and Zayo earned this designation in the first half of 2021. The Challenge Tier includes providers with between 1% and 4% share of the U.S. retail Ethernet services market. One company, T-Mobile, dropped from this tier to the Market Player tier, where it was joined by such firms as ACD, AireSpring, Alaska Communications, American Telesis, Armstrong Business Solutions, Atlantic Broadband, bSimplify, BT Global Services, Centracom, Cincinnati Bell, Consolidated Communications, Crown Castle Fiber, CTS Telecom, Douglas Fast Net, DQE Communications, ExteNet Systems, Fatbeam, FiberLight, FirstLight, Fusion Connect, Global Cloud Xchange, Great Plains Communications, Hunter Communications, Logix Fiber Networks, FirstComm, LS Networks, Masergy, MetTel, Midco, Momentum Telecom, NTT, Orange Business, Pilot Fiber, PS Lightwave, RCN Business, Segra, Shentel Business, Silver Star Telecom, Sparklight Business, Syringa, T-Mobile, Tata, TDS Telecom, Telstra, TPx, Transtelco, Unite Private Networks, US Signal, Veracity, Wave Broadband, WOW!Business, Ziply Fiber, and other companies selling retail Ethernet services in the U.S. market who possess less than 1% market share.

Regardless of tier, all companies in the U.S. Carrier Ethernet services market continue to operate within the headwinds of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Protracted effects of the pandemic throughout the U.S. continue to suppress expansion of Ethernet service installations. Commercial building workforce levels – a primary driver for bandwidth – remain lower than normal,” commented Rick Malone, principal of VSG. “We continue to see strength in demand for Ethernet DIA [dedicated internet access] and Ethernet-based wavelength services. Conversely, the shift to hybrid SD-WAN solutions is negatively impacting switched metro Ethernet and Ethernet access to MPLS services.”

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About the Author

Stephen Hardy | Editorial Director and Associate Publisher, Lightwave

Stephen Hardy is editorial director and associate publisher of Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report, part of the Lighting & Technology Group at Endeavor Business Media. Stephen is responsible for establishing and executing editorial strategy across the both brands’ websites, email newsletters, events, and other information products. He has covered the fiber-optics space for more than 20 years, and communications and technology for more than 35 years. During his tenure, Lightwave has received awards from Folio: and the American Society of Business Press Editors (ASBPE) for editorial excellence. Prior to joining Lightwave in 1997, Stephen worked for Telecommunications magazine and the Journal of Electronic Defense.

Stephen has moderated panels at numerous events, including the Optica Executive Forum, ECOC, and SCTE Cable-Tec Expo. He also is program director for the Lightwave Innovation Reviews and the Diamond Technology Reviews.

He has written numerous articles in all aspects of optical communications and fiber-optic networks, including fiber to the home (FTTH), PON, optical components, DWDM, fiber cables, packet optical transport, optical transceivers, lasers, fiber optic testing, and more.

You can connect with Stephen on LinkedIn as well as Twitter.