Meet Me in Vegas
April 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 April 2004 issue. To download the complete series as one consolidated PDF (2.7 MB), click here.
Don't roll the dice on your interconnections in Las Vegas. When in Sin City, see Collocation Solutions.
Collocation Solutions' 302 E. Carson Avenue location was a Bank of America building prior to becoming a carrier hotel. In 2001 Collocation Solutions was looking for opportunities in the Las Vegas area, and 302 E. Carson Avenue was the perfect location because of its convergence of fiber running underneath the building. The company built the data center on the first floor around the former bank vault, which is fireproof, floodproof and earthquake proof for added security.
The 302 E. Carson location is strategically placed to provide optimum fiber and wireless connectivity. Collocation Solutions has all six metropolitan fiber SONET network providers providing connectivity in the facility. The facility has access to major interexchange carriers such as AT&T, MCI, Broadwing, Wiltel, Global Crossing and Qwest. This provides clients with a high-density of bandwidth providers in a carrier-neutral environment.
The Las Vegas market is traditionally known to have a service and casino concentration. However, West Coast companies consider Las Vegas a "safe haven," far enough away from potential natural disasters but close enough to drive to in case of emergencies. A lot of this facility's success comes from West Coast companies planning for disaster recovery and/or business continuity. The Collocation Solutions disaster recovery hot site model allows for zero downtime tolerance, and this is unique to the traditional data center data recovery insurance model.
Collocation Solutions has succeeded because of a synergy it creates with clients. The company does not compete with its customers but actually brings them business and introduces them to other clients, so they can do business together. This is a common theme among most successful sites in North America. Tenants prefer this and refer other companies because they see this as a partnership rather than a vendor relationship. Collocation Solutions' carrier-neutrality also is a big part of its success, since it gives enterprises the opportunity to pick and choose which carriers they would prefer.
So, if you're looking for a place to have a good telecom time and make a few quality network connections in Las Vegas, odds are you'll get what you need at Collocation Solutions.
For more information, contact Jayne Rios of Collocation Solutions at (214) 231-0162 ext. 14 or [email protected].
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Bank Vault | 18" thick concrete walls |
| History | Originally the main branch office of Bank of America Las Vegas |
| Security | Earthquake, flood-proof and fireproof |
| 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? | Yes |
| 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? | Yes |
| Are all cross connects tagged and inventoried? | Yes |
| Is there a shared fiber panel (MDF, CFDP)? | No |
| Can the customer bring and install its own fiber distribution panels? | Yes |
| Is there a shared COAX or copper panel? | No |
| 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? | No |
| For carriers not in the meet area, the interconnect options include | In-building, intra-city local loops and in-building, intra-city dark fiber, shared conduit and inner duct. Customers can hire labor for conduit construction directly. |
| The costs and availability are determined based upon | The individual order. Collocation Solutions facilitates interconnections and access but is not a carrier or agent. All loops, fiber and certain shared routes must be contracted directly by the customer. |
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Facility Size | 1 suite |
| Suite 100 | 13,600 sq. ft. |
| AC Power Feed | 2,500 amp, 480 v service |
| Generator | Diesel generator 2,000 kW, 2,500 kVA. Three phase output at 480v, 3,000-gallon fuel tank |
| Control System | ATS with isolated bypass circuit |
| UPS | 500 kVA (2 units). 480 v and 480 v output |
| DC Plant | 400 amps (growth to 800 amps) |
| HVAC | 330 tons of cooling via Liebert air conditioning units. N +1 configuration. 11 units monitored by Collocation Solutions NOC. |
| Fire Suppression | Dual-action, dry-pipe system. Laser detection system with alarm monitor directly to local alarm company and the Las Vegas Fire Department. |
| Carrier | Carrier |
|---|---|
| Sierra Pacific | AT&T |
| XO | WorldCom |
| Cox | Broadwing |
| Optigate | Williams |
| Xspedius | Global Crossing |
| Sprint | Qwest |
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Building size | 151,000 sq. ft. |
| Union building | No |
| Building generator | No (Collocation Solutions has separate generator) |
| Generator rooms for tenants | No (Collocation Solutions has separate room) |
| Roof access | Yes |
| Tenant conduit rights | Yes |
| Is there a building meet me room? | No |
| Is this MMR the featured site? | No |
Originally published in FATPIPE magazine, April 2004.
