Telecom Ramblings

Everywhere we look in the telecom and internet infrastructure space we see preparations for 5G underway.  But in many cases, the technological hurdles aren’t the difficult ones.  In markets like New York City it’s easier to talk about network densification but a whole lot harder to actually do it.  Places like NYC have long been minefields for large carriers, but opportunity zones for smaller companies with the necessary local knowledge and capabilities.  One such operator in NYC is Skywire Networks, which has been busy deploying its network throughout the digital deserts of NYC. With us today to talk about Skywire’s approach to bringing high-speed internet to every corner of NYC is founder and CEO Alan Levy. [Read more →]

Four interesting bits of news from around the sector that might otherwise have slipped past my nets this week: [Read more →]

A few interesting items to catch up on this week worth noting: [Read more →]

Lots of interesting international news to catch up on this week: [Read more →]

Pound for pound, few US fiber operators have been putting as much new network in the ground than Everstream in the last couple years. Each year they announce a new set of targets, and in 2021 the company says it will focus a substantial amount of resources on seven metro fiber markets. [Read more →]

Last week we took the M&A temperature of the US network marketplace, and while you can still vote we do have some preliminary results. And I do largely agree with them this year. [Read more →]

The data center industry continues to evolve rapidly, and that creates opportunities for new providers to come in and shake things up.  Prime Data Centers is one of those young companies looking to make their mark, starting on the West Coast of the U.S. but already looking at international opportunities.  With us today to talk about their approach to the market is co-founder and CEO Nicholas Laag. [Read more →]

The first week of 2021 is now in the books, and and I’m already tired of the general news.  But in telecom and internet infrastructure the world keeps on chugging.  So here’s some catchup on some other interesting news from this week: [Read more →]

We started the week with the question of consolidation targets in the US, and now it’s time for the other side of the coin.  What networks operators are most likely to be consolidators in 2021?  We’ll take it as a given that ‘infrastructure funds’ would top the more general list of likely buyers, of course.  Last year’s top picks didn’t buy much, but #4 FirstLight and #6 Everstream made some strategic purchases.  Who is likely to step up to the plate in 2021? [Read more →]

Bluebird Network made an interesting inorganic move in Iowa this week.  The Missouri-based regional communications infrastructure provider has announced the acquisition of the ColoHub Data Center from Geneseo Communications. [Read more →]

Ok, I hallucinated on the first version of this article, in which I noted that 1547 bought Milwaukee’s Wells Building. That actually happened in September. Today’s purchase was of a similar type though, and with the same financial partner. Today 1547 Critical Systems Realty and Harrison Street teamed up to buy Portland’s Pittock Block building. [Read more →]

Three bits of M&A news, plus a couple of international vendor wins: [Read more →]

Happy New Year!  It’s that time again to take stock of the M&A landscape in the world of network operators.  Which US network operators do you think are most likely to get bought this year?  Last time, before the pandemic turned the world upside down, of the top 10 we got only two partials: GTT (its mostly European infrastructure division) and Uniti Fiber (which sold a piece of its Midwestern business to Macquarie).  But to be fair, not all that many substantial deals were done.  Who is likely to be selling this year? (Not including already pending transactions). [Read more →]

There is no bigger buzzword in the infrastructure space right now than the edge.  Positioning more servers closer to more eyeballs to reduce latency and improve the customer experience has become a pressing concern for the whole industry even in advance of next generation technologies that might really take advantage of it.  Effectively scaling distributed infrastructure is a new challenge, and one of the companies taking on that challenge is EdgeMicro.  With us today to talk about EdgeMicro’s performance is the company’s VP of Revenue & Strategy, Jason Bourg. [Read more →]

After the year 2020 has been, it’s almost scary to to try to make predictions for 2021. But in the world of telecom and internet infrastructure, things haven’t been as crazy as they could have been, and traditions must be upheld. So what’s coming down the pike for those who have kept the world connected despite it all this year?  Let’s take a look at the crystal ball once again:

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There was a bit of M&A over in Europe to close out 2020. euNetworks has announced the purchase of The Loop Manchester Limited. The deal expands euNetworks’ metro reach within one of its 17 markets in western Europe, adding both unique existing capacity and room for expansion along the company’s Super-Highway route from Dublin to London and Lowestoft. [Read more →]

Every year I put it on the line and make predictions for the new year ahead. But before I do that, I try to do a sanity check and look back to the predictions I made for the year that is ending.  I can barely remember what I might have been thinking 2020 would be like, but it can’t be good. I’m afraid to look, but on the other hand expectations are a bit low. [Read more →]

This Industry Viewpoint was authored by Mary Stanhope, CMO at Unitas Global

In 2020, we observed the impact of the global health situation on cloud-based computing and demands for edge connectivity. A study conducted by PWC states that in the first quarter of 2020, cloud spending rose 37% to $29 billion. In the same study, Gartner estimates [Read more →]

This Industry Viewpoint was authored by Sean McDevitt, partner at Aurther D. Little

As we reach the close of 2020, the make-or-break moment for telecom companies to realize the potential from IoT is becoming clearer. The promise of a new phase of digitalization driven by multiple converging enablers – robotics, AI, AR, and other digital interfaces – is here. [Read more →]

A few more items worth noting this Christmas Eve.  Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas too all!  [Read more →]

Cinturion Corp has officially begun work on a new solution to an old problem: connecting western Europe with India and beyond with fiber. The most successful of such solutions have taken a mostly subsea route through Egypt and the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean to India and on to Singapore. A few others have tried piecing together terrestrial fiber across Russia and central Asia. Cinturion is taking a new hybrid approach that has been historically [Read more →]

Three bits of metro/regional infrastructure news to keep track of in the days before Christmas: [Read more →]

What we call the edge continues to evolve, and so do the industry players looking to take advantage of the opportunities there.  One interesting player that has begun deploying its vision both organically and inorganically this past year has been DartPoints.  With us today to talk about DartPoints’ approach and its viewpoint on the market today is CEO Scott Willis, who took the helm earlier this year.

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