Business Ethernet port shares for the largest providers were slightly lower at year-end 2006 compared to midyear results, according to Vertical Systems Group. Leading providers encountered more competitive pressure as enterprise customer demand for retail business Ethernet services in the U.S. intensified during 2H06.
“Increased market participation from MSOs and specialized carriers, plus a broadening of offerings, including sub-10-Mbit/sec services, drove share gains for more than a dozen midsize and regionally based service providers,” explains Rick Malone, principal at Vertical Systems Group. “The number of service providers focusing on the U.S. market opportunity is expanding, which signals a key inflection in business Ethernet market development.”
AT&T (including the former SBC) continues to hold the market lead based on ports with a 13.6% share, down from 16.2% at midyear 2006. Both figures do not include BellSouth, which had an 8.5% share of ports at the end of December when the acquisition by AT&T was completed. Verizon Business (including the former MCI) retains the second share position at 12.2% of total ports, down from 13.5%. Rounding out the top three is Time Warner Telecom, holding a 10.7% port share, a slight decline from 10.9% at midyear 2006.
Qwest (including OnFiber) moves into the fourth position overall with a 9.9% share of the market. Cogent is sixth at an 8.2% port share. Yipes (5.4%) and Level3 (5.3%) complete the list of business Ethernet providers that have 5% or more of U.S. retail ports installed.
Other providers with an aggregate 26.2% of ports include AboveNet, American Fiber Systems, American Telesis, Arialink, Balticore, Broadwing, Charter Business, CIFNet, Cincinnati Bell, Comcast, Cox, CT Communications, Electric Lightwave, Embarq, Expedient, Exponential-e, Fibernet, Global Crossing, Globix, LS Networks, Masergy, Met-Net, Neopolitan Networks, NTT/Verio, Optimum Lightpath, Orange Business (Equant), RCN, Savvis, Sprint, Time Warner Cable, US LEC, Veroxity, Virtela, XO, and others.
For more information about Vertical Systems Group’s “Emerging Networks Service” report, visit www.verticalsystems.com.