Windstream Wholesale has launched a new network, Point of Presence (POP), in Myrtle Beach, S.C., activating domestic wavelength services at the DC BLOX Cable Landing Station (CLS).
Out of DC BLOX’s location, Windstream Wholesale will offer up to 400G wavelength services via its long-haul Intelligent Converged Optical Network (ICON).
This initiative, part of Windstream Wholesale's Beach Route strategy, aims to deliver lit and dark fiber services via diverse connectivity to subsea cables landing in Myrtle Beach.
DC BLOX’s site is key. Located between Virginia Beach and Jacksonville, Fla., the DC BLOX CLS site offers unparalleled flexibility to international customers seeking U.S. gateway options.
“By activating wavelength services to the DC BLOX Cable Landing Station, we are significantly enhancing our network's resilience and diversity,” said Joe Scattareggia, president of Windstream Wholesale.
New subsea opportunities
By establishing a foothold in Myrtle Beach, Windstream Wholesale positions itself to address the lit capacity connections to various subsea cables, including:
- Anjana: A 7,121 km fiber-optic cable connecting Myrtle Beach to Santander, Spain.
- Firmina: A cable linking Myrtle Beach with countries in South America.
- Nuvem: Connecting Myrtle Beach to Bermuda and Portugal
Key to all of this is Windstream Wholesale’s Beach Route, which spans 690 miles from the Jacksonville CLS to the Myrtle Beach, S.C., cable landing station and on to Raleigh, N.C., offering low-latency connections crucial for cloud services and content delivery providers and linking key hubs along the East Coast.
Initially, the Beach Route Dark Fiber Alliance extended Wholesale’s dark fiber route north by 315 miles. The initial alliance, including Mid-Atlantic Broadband, Tilson Infrastructure, and SummitIG, extended the route from Raleigh to Richmond and Ashburn, Va.
Wavelengths rising
Overall, the market for optical wavelength services is ripe.
Unsurprisingly, AI is a significant factor driving the growth of higher-speed optical wavelength market services.
Vertical Systems Group noted in its Mid-2024 U.S. Wavelength Services LEADERBOARD that the escalating surge of AI applications is a significant purchase driver for 100+ Gbps wavelengths.
The research firm said that 400G is also a factor. Customers purchasing 400 Gbps wavelength services include top hyperscalers, financial entities, data centers, media and entertainment companies, and cloud providers.
For related articles, visit the Optical Tech Topic Center.
For more information on optical components and suppliers, visit the Lightwave Buyer’s Guide.
To stay abreast of optical communications technology, subscribe to Lightwave’s Enabling Technologies Newsletter.
Sean Buckley
Sean is responsible for establishing and executing the editorial strategies of Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report across their websites, email newsletters, events, and other information products.