For a couple years now I have been keeping track of on-net buildings, but I have done so haphazardly. With this forum in place, I think I will try to keep it more regulary and in a public format. When I speak of an on-net building I mean that it has a fiber connection to someone other than the local ILEC. Of course, different companies disclose this number differently, and some don’t give it at all, but we can get a general idea if we try:
| Company | # Buildings | Markets | Route Miles | Source |
| TW Telecom | 8,587 | 75 | 25,930 | 10-Q 5/12/2008 |
| Level 3 | 7,600 | 125 | 26,000 | link |
| XO Communications | 3,000+ | 38 | 9,000+ | link |
| Cogent | 1,240 | ~35 | 10,400 | 10-Q 5/12/2008, link |
| Abovenet | 1,300+ | 15 | 4,500 | 10-K 5/13/2008 |
| RCN Metro | 1,200+ | 12 | 5,626 | link |
| Zayo | 850 | 95 | 17,000 | link |
| Integra | 580 | 8 | 2,200 | link |
| American Fiber Systems | 540 | 9 | 1000+ | link |
| US Signal | 100+ | 14 | 700 | link |
Two numbers I suspect may not be comparable are the markets served of Zayo and Cogent, in that ‘markets served’ does not necessarily include a metro ring in all cases. In the case of Zayo, since they focus on smaller cities, the definition of a ‘market served’ may be somewhat different in that a few small markets may be just one metro ring etc, and also the distinction between metro and regional fiber route miles is not made in the sources I have found (perhaps I shall find better ones). In the case of Cogent, 35 markets is from an older link, but since then Cogent just gives its total markets irrespective of whether it has a metro ring in each.
Companies for which I have little information:
| Company | # Buildings | Markets | Route Miles | Source |
| Fibertech | ? | 21 | ? | link |
| FiberLight | ? | 15 | ? | link |
| Southern Telecom | ? | 4 | 1200 | link |
I know there are more smaller ones, but I don’t have them all at my fingertips all the time. Rather, I intend to keep expanding and updating this list as I find the information. So if you have some that I’m missing, let me know. Likewise, if you have any updated information, or spot any obvious errors, please tell me.
In later posts, I will try to delve deeper into these numbers.
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Kudos and thanks for the good work.
I have updated the numbers for American Fiber Systems, as they were kind enough to fill in some data for me. It can be tough finding data on private companies, so thank you AFS!
I love your website. Keep up the great work!
Mike McGonigal
Wholesale, Carrier & Service Provider Sales
email: mike.mcgonigal@twtelecom.com
818 W. 7th Street, 8th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90017
Direct 213.929.2121 Mobile 213.700.1235 Fax 213.929.2160
24/7 Customer Service: 800-829-0420
Rob,
Are you still keeping track of the on-net building data?
Jkerth,
Yes I am, and the current version of the list lives at http://www.telecomramblings.com/metro-fiber-provider-list/ , which you can get to from the resource menu item near the top of the site.
I will be soliciting updates for this list after the Thanksgiving holidays, and then will do a 2009 wrapup of the activity in the metro fiber sector.