Unlocking the Demand for Dark Fiber
November 30, 2014
"Allied Fiber's unique value proposition is in developing a network-neutral network with an abundant supply of state-of-the art dark fiber available for lease that provides substantial physical diversity from existing dark and lit fiber networks."
Telecom Review recently visited with Hunter Newby, CEO of Allied Fiber to get an update on their network construction. The recently completed Florida segment of the Southeast route, which covers more than 360 miles through the State, was built to serve network operators of all types including, national, regional and metro carriers, submarine cable networks, wireless backhaul providers, municipal networks and content providers. Globenet is one of the submarine cables that is interconnecting with Allied. As a fully integrated network-neutral colocation and dark fiber system, Allied Fiber's Florida route is the first to enable open interconnection between all network operator types within a single, physical layer long haul system.
Allied Fiber's unique business model includes three primary components including high-count dark fiber, handholes for lateral splicing and integrated, network-neutral colocation facilities. The Florida route consists of a 528 count Corning composite SMF 28e+ and LEAF fiber cable in buried duct along road Rights of Way extending from the NAP of the Americas in Miami, one of the largest and most significant data center and Internet exchange points in the United States, to 421 West Church Street, the main carrier hotel in Jacksonville.
Cologix has announced that Allied Fiber has established a point-of-presence (PoP) within Cologix's Meet-Me-Room. Along the 364 route miles in between these two main interconnection hubs the fiber traverses through dedicated handholes that are spaced every 5,000 feet for lateral fiber splicing and through Allied Fiber owned and operated network-neutral colocation facilities located in West Palm Beach, Ft. Pierce, Rockledge, New Smyrna Beach, St. Augustine, and Jacksonville.
Each of the hurricane proof colocation facilities are spaced approximately 60 miles apart, and are 1,200 square foot modular, precast concrete and steel structures designed for efficiency and scalability. The initial installations are designed to support 64 customer cabinets, 150kW Protected AC 120v & DC -48v Power, Backup Generators, HVAC, and 24/7 NOC Monitoring services.
Numerous regional, metro and municipal fiber networks already exist along the route and have easy access to Allied Fiber's superstructure. By bringing together the long haul content, enterprise and carrier networks with the local, competitive aggregation and distribution networks in a network-neutral colocation environment, open access interconnection will flourish as the "network-effect" takes hold.
"This announcement is a monumental step in Allied Fiber's evolution to becoming the first national, open access, integrated network-neutral colocation and dark fiber superstructure in the United States," Hunter told us. "We believe the Florida segment of our Southeast route will serve as a standard for all future segments of our national build where the process and benefits of physical interconnection will be repeated. The impact on all network operators and the communities that they serve across the nation will be to provide access to improved network speeds at more cost effective rates by introducing choice. The access to quality, reduced costs, increased revenue and improved margins through direct connect options for service providers will result in a significant contribution to overall economic growth and productivity gains throughout the country."
Allied Set to Complete Its Southeast Route
Construction of network-neutral route from Jacksonville to Atlanta is underway and is the next step in Allied Fiber's national, open access, integrated network-neutral colocation and dark fiber superstructure.
Allied Fiber has announced that construction is underway on the second segment of the Company's Southeast Route spanning from Jacksonville, FL to Atlanta, GA.
This 236 mile build will connect the previously completed 154 mile span from Macon, GA to Valdosta, GA, to Atlanta in the north and Jacksonville in the south and will complete Allied Fiber's entire 700 mile Miami, FL to Atlanta, GA Southeast Route.
Expected to be operational in mid-2015, the Jacksonville to Atlanta Route will serve network operators of all types including, national, regional and metro carriers, submarine cable networks, wireless backhaul providers, municipal networks and content providers. As a fully integrated network-neutral colocation and dark fiber system, Allied Fiber's Southeast Route will be the first to enable open interconnection between all network operator types within a single, physical layer long haul system.
"This announcement is the next step forward in Allied Fiber's evolution to becoming the first national, open-access, integrated network-neutral colocation and dark fiber superstructure in the United States," said Hunter. "The Jacksonville to Atlanta segment of our Southeast Route will continue the standard we have set in Florida and for all future segments of our national build where the process and benefits of direct, physical interconnection will be repeated."
Allied Fiber's unique business model and network design was created to specifically facilitate open-access interconnection. The three primary components of the model are new, high-count dark fiber cables, handholes for lateral splicing and fully integrated, network-neutral colocation facilities. Along the 390 miles of cable between Jacksonville and Atlanta the fiber traverses through dedicated handholes spaced approximately every 3,500 feet and also through the Allied Fiber owned and operated network-neutral colocation facilities located in Fargo, GA, Hahira, GA, Ashburn, GA, Warner Robins, GA and Barnesville, GA. These new sites will bring the total number of Allied Fiber colocation facilities along the Southeast Route up to eleven.
In addition to the clear benefits network operators derive from control at the physical layer, Allied Fiber's Southeast Route will provide significant opportunity for economic stimulation, job growth and improvement in network infrastructure for the States of Florida and Georgia. Numerous regional, metro and municipal fiber networks already exist along the route and will have ready access to Allied Fiber's superstructure. By bringing together long-haul content, enterprise and carrier networks with the local, competitive aggregation and distribution networks in a network-neutral colocation environment, open-access interconnection will flourish as the "network-effect" takes hold.
"For communities in the USA which have struggled to get low cost, high-quality network access, this is a very big step and there will be a positive impact on both network operators and the communities they serve. The model has worked well in countries that are now among the most competitive largely because this model offers more cost effective rates by introducing choice. Access to quality, lower costs, increased revenues and improved margins, which Allied Fiber direct-connect options will bring, will allow service providers to make a significant contribution to overall economic growth and productivity gains in cities and communities throughout the country," said Louis A. Zacharilla, Co-Founder of the Intelligent Community Forum, a think tank based in New York which studies the impact of broadband on economic and social development worldwide.
Hunter Newby was CEO of Allied Fiber at the time of this publishing.
Originally published in Telecom Review, November/December 2014.
