TOWARDEX, a Boston-based network provider and operator of the Massachusetts Internet Exchange (MASS IX), has completed upgrades to underground utilities in the Boston suburb of Somerville. The work more than doubles the total fiber capacity linking the downtown Boston area to the region’s cable landing station, boosting connectivity for the local carrier-neutral data centers.
Known as the Hub Express System, the network adds more than 135 new fiber optic cables to the Somerville underground infrastructure. Constructed and operated by TOWARDEX subsidiary TWDX Infrastructure, the Hub Express System is a “joint-use communications trench” operating on an open-leasing model, making its rights-of-way available to telecom and Internet service providers on a competitively neutral basis.
The upgraded infrastructure enables increased data capacity, speeds, and peering interconnections which not only benefits Boston businesses, but also serves as a growth catalyst for Boston’s technology corridor, TOWARDEX asserts.
The Somerville area, a.k.a. the Inner Belt, is a high-tech industrial hub for biotech, R&D, and carrier-neutral data centers for the region’s internet infrastructure. In addition, with connections to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s (MBTA’s) telecom utility services, the Inner Belt infrastructure provides a direct terrestrial fiber route to link the Boston metropolitan area to the transatlantic cable landing station in Lynn, MA.
“Historically in Boston, getting access to interconnection ecosystems and underground duct space for fiber-optic communications has been challenging, particularly for new providers seeking to break into our market,” said James Jun, chief operating officer of TOWARDEX. “The Hub Express System addresses this by reducing the large capital requirements to build fiber optic networks, and delivering on our vision for a fair, free and open internet infrastructure for everyone, where innovation can truly thrive.”
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