Meet Me in Denver
May 1, 2004
Part of a series of articles published in FATPIPE magazine from 2003-2005 examining carrier interconnection options in major North American cities. This article was published in the May 2004 issue. To download the complete series as one consolidated PDF (2.7 MB), click here.
Rocky Mountain high-speed bandwidth has found its home. Just as Denver was once a hub of activity for pioneers heading west to discover new territory, it is today considered to be a hub of technological pioneering. And when the companies at this high-tech frontier want to find the premier interconnection spot, they look to Comfluent.
Comfluent is a carrier interconnection facility located at the crossroads of telecommunications in Denver. The company's facility is located in Denver's major carrier hotel at 910 15th Street, adjacent to Denver Main, the primary entry point for the northern LATA (656) of Colorado. This location puts them in the middle of the networking world:
In the middle of Denver: Carriers like Qwest, MCI, UUNet, Level 3, WilTel, ICG and all of the local exchange carriers are tenants of the 910 15th Street building.
In the middle of the country: The Denver location has distinct advantages for foreign customers that need to expand their network within the United States or domestic companies that need to strengthen their position in the Rocky Mountains. Comfluent is less than 30 milliseconds from either coast, one satellite bounce to Europe and one satellite bounce to Asia.
Comfluent's CEO, Alf Gardner, discovered the 910 15th Street location and its potential in 1997. "After spending 15 years in the oil and gas industry, I realized what we were sitting on here," he explains. "It reminded me of the famous Henry Hub natural gas interchange in Erath, La. -- the delivery point for the New York Mercantile Exchange. I realized then that Comfluent would become the Henry Hub of the networking world."
The New Frontier
Comfluent has unique insight into where things are headed. One of the hottest topics they're working with today is voice over Internet protocol. "VoIP providers need access to the PSTN, big pipes to the Internet and a variety of local exchange carriers," explains Gardner. "We host the Rocky Mountain Internet eXchange here. It's a neutral regional IP peering point that offers cost and latency savings, enhanced Internet performance and exciting VoIP opportunities."
Other hot topics? Comfluent is working with an increasing number of enterprise customers to provide disaster recovery and remote data storage services. Having the ability to take advantage of a carrier-neutral facility to protect enterprise data is key. And the company's Transparent Metro Ethernet Service is on the rise, as well. It's like running a very long Ethernet cable between locations, making it truly plug and play. It's far less expensive for customers than running traditional private lines.
"The only certainty out there is that opportunities will present themselves in the coming years that will surpass our wildest dreams," Gardner concludes. "Our location in Denver gives us – and our customers -- the chance to seize those opportunities."
For more information on Comfluent contact Alf Gardner at (303) 376-1600 or [email protected].
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Building size | 150,000 sq. ft. |
| Union building | No |
| Building generator | Four 2 Mw |
| Generator rooms for tenants | No |
| Roof access | Yes – controlled by building management |
| Tenant conduit rights | Yes – controlled by building management |
| Is there a building meet me room? | No |
| Is this MMR the featured site? | N/A |
| Attribute | Present | Additional Under Construction |
|---|---|---|
| Facility Size | 2,900 sq. ft. | |
| Suite | 7th floor suite 751 | |
| AC Power Feed | 400 Amp, 208 VAC | 600 Amp, 208 VAC |
| Generator | 150 Kva | 225 Kva |
| Control System | Power/environmentals/access/video monitoring & recording | |
| UPS | PowerWare 80 Kva | PowerWare 80 Kva |
| DC Plant | Marconi – 48V 400 Amp | Marconi – 48V 400 Amp |
| HVAC | 15-ton dry cooler system | 40-ton chilled water system |
| Fire Suppression | FM 200 |
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Can customers order cross connects to any other meet area customer? | Yes |
| Is the average turnaround time for cross connects 48 hours or less? | Yes |
| Is on-site technical support available 24/7/365? | No - dispatch |
| Can customers access the site 24/7/365? | Yes |
| Can the technicians test and turn up circuits? | Yes |
| Does the meet area operator perform the cross connect? | Yes |
| Can the customer perform the cross connect? | No |
| Are all cross connects tagged and inventoried? | Yes |
| Is there a shared fiber panel (MDF, CFDP)? | Yes |
| Can the customer bring and install its own fiber distribution panels? | Yes |
| Is there a shared COAX or copper panel? | Yes |
| Can the customer bring and install its own COAX or copper panel? | Yes |
| Are there monthly recurring charges to cross connect in the meet area? | Yes |
| For carriers not in the meet area, the interconnect options include | For carrier tenants of the building the operator will install conduits and fiber, coax and copper facilities. Non-tenant carriers need to deal with building management to first gain entry into the building. |
| The costs and availability are determined by | Standard cross connect fees apply. |
| Carrier | Carrier |
|---|---|
| AT&T/TCG | PointOne Communications |
| Broadwing Communications | Qwest (US & Classic) |
| C Com | Rock Solid Broadband |
| Cogent Communications | Rocky Mountain Internet eXchange |
| Comcast | Time Warner Telecom |
| E-Xpedient | Tone Networks/Boulevard Media |
| Fortis Communications | Universal Access |
| Front Range Internet | Usurf |
| ICG Communications | WilTel/Vyvx |
| IDT/Winstar | XO Communications |
| Internet2 | Yipes |
| Level 3/Genuity | Other carriers at 910 15th Street |
| MCI/MFS | 360networks/Touch America |
| OnFiber | MCI/UUNet |
| OneSource | National Network |
| Optigate Networks | Popp Telecom |
Originally published in FATPIPE magazine, May 2004.
