Lumen scales up its Network-as-a-Service Customer Base to 2K business customers

Lumen has doubled its network-as-a-service (NaaS) customer base to more than 2,000 businesses since the third quarter of 2025, reflecting a trend where enterprises are shifting to on-demand, programmable networking for AI and cloud workloads.

In addition to the $12 billion Private Connectivity Fabric (PCF) platform agreements it signed in 2025, NaaS was a key driver of Lumen's fourth-quarter growth, with the number of active customers rising 29% quarter over quarter. The number of NaaS Fabric Ports deployed grew 31%, and the number of services sold grew 26% in that same period.

Jim Fowler, chief technology and product officer for Lumen, said the growth of NaaS reflects Lumen's enterprise customers' interest in software-driven platforms.

“Surpassing 2,000 NaaS customers so quickly shows programmable networking is no longer experimental, it’s becoming the control plane for Cloud 2.0,” he said.

Enhancing network reach

A key part of Lumen’s NaaS growth is its reach through its own fiber network facilities and a large array of off-net network partners.

As part of its network expansion plan, Lumen is investing significantly in three major network upgrades: building 400G rapid route wavelength service routes across 36 routes with others in development, enabling 400G services for data centers across key markets, and a metro expansion plan to connect the most desired routes, data centers and cities. The service provider also met its 2025 goal of deploying 17 million miles of intercity fiber.

Since reaching 1,000 customers in August 2025, Lumen announced in October that it was expanding its NaaS internet-on-demand product to over 10 million new business locations, removing geographic barriers to connectivity.

The service provider noted that adoption has also accelerated as enterprises increase the number of ports per customer, signaling a growing reliance on a programmable fabric to support distributed business sites, clouds, and AI-driven environments.

While Lumen continues to expand its fiber network reach to deliver on-net and cloud services, it is keen to pursue off-net NaaS opportunities with service provider partners.

Earlier this year, in September, it unveiled “Project Berkeley,” a network interface device that extends the company’s NaaS services, such as on-demand internet, Ethernet, and IP VPN, to off-net sites using any access type. Those access types can be 5G, fiber, copper, fixed wireless access, satellite and other media.

“While it's still early, we believe off-net growth significantly expands our addressable market for NaaS services,” said Kathleen Johnson, CEO of Lumen, during its fourth quarter earnings call. “Great brands across industries are adopting this new capability with more than 900 off-net ports sold so far. The investments we're making in building a programmable network are driving significant growth in high-value digital revenues, which we believe will ultimately drive higher returns for Lumen investors.”

Johnson added that the company will “share more on its off-net plans and Project Berkeley at Investor Day.”

Focus on automation

Lumen’s NaaS growth is supported by its dedication to providing software-driven, automated platforms, such as its Multi‑Cloud Gateway.

The platform offers its business customers a software‑defined, self‑service routing layer on top of its global fiber network, giving enterprises a more direct way to move data between clouds and business locations.  

Its NaaS platform can be managed with Lumen Connect, a self-service portal where users can find, order, and control on-demand connectivity.

The timing for the Multi-Cloud Gateway is on track with what enterprises are looking for. According to an IDC Cloud Pulse Survey, 84% of the businesses it surveyed already use multiple cloud providers¹

Lumen’s NaaS platform continues to be adopted by large enterprises, including most recently Seattle Sounders FC, which it said turned to Lumen to build a network that can rapidly scale for game days without paying for peak capacity year-round.

“Live sports don’t operate on a steady curve,” said Kari Escobedo, Interim CTO at Seattle Sounders FC. “We need the ability to scale when the business needs to scale — and to know the network will perform when it matters most. With Lumen NaaS, the network adapts to the business instead of the other way around.”

For related articles, visit the Business Topic Center.
For more information on high-speed transmission systems and suppliers, visit the Lightwave Buyer’s Guide.
To stay abreast of fiber network deployments, subscribe to Lightwave’s Service Providers and Datacom/Data Center newsletters.