The Big Apple has one more dark fiber operator than it did yesterday, pushing back against the prevailing winds of consolidation. Axiom Fiber Networks has formally launched in Manhattan under the leadership of industry veteran Felipe J. Alvarez, formerly of Sidera and RCN Metro and one of this website’s earliest interviewees.
Axiom is in the midst of rolling out its core metro loops in Manhattan, covering 20 route miles with brand new 864-strand SMF28 fiberoptic cables. They started in late 2014, and should have the first set of major carrier hotels hooked up by the end of the first quarter. They’ll be focusing on speed of delivery and network integrity as they take on the existing players.
The number of fiber builders and operators in New York City has dwindled over the years, as operators like Lightower, Zayo, Lightpath, and Level 3 have steadily both rolled up various footprints and expanded organically. There are still a decent number of competitors, but NYC is still both the biggest metro market prize in North America and perhaps the hardest place to do it right.
Axiom believes the demand is there for some new infrastructure and a new, nimble custom builder. Their initial deployment puts the company in ‘striking distance of every building in Midtown and Lower Manhattan’, which is of course a lot of buildings. I wonder how long it will be before they cross the Hudson into New Jersey.
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Categories: Metro fiber
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I always love to see stuff like this happening. Now do it in Chicago! 😉