Lumen Technologies (NYSE: LUMN) says it plans to add 6 million fiber miles to its intercity network by 2026. The initiative will approximately double the network’s fiber miles on diverse routes that connect more than 50 major cities across the U.S.
The route expansion effort will leverage Corning's SMF-28 ULL fiber and SMF-28 Ultra fiber to support low-loss operation. Lumen says it will continue to use a multi-conduit deployment approach (see figure above) to speed the roll-out.
The expansion comes on the heels of a recent upgrade of more than 24,000 route miles across its Lumen’s intercity network. The enhancement will enable Lumen to support wavelength services of up to 400G now and greater transmission rates in the future.
"We are creating a next-gen network, and fiber type matters," said Andrew Dugan, Lumen chief technology officer. "As demand for optical fiber increases and technology evolves, Lumen's multi-conduit infrastructure means we can install the latest fiber type quickly and economically. It's difficult to upgrade legacy intercity networks without multiple conduits. These networks end up being stuck with older fiber technology. Lumen is fixing that issue with our upgraded technology. We can extend signal reach to help reduce equipment costs and increase bandwidth capacity. Using ultra-low-loss fiber on the Lumen network is a major component of what differentiates us from other network providers."
A map of the expanded fiber network is available on Lumen’s website.
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