Network Design

Comcast Business plans fiber-optic network expansion in Albuquerque and Santa Fe

Nov. 20, 2014

Comcast Business, the business services arm of cable MSO Comcast Corp. (NASDAQ: CMCSA, CMCSK), says it expects to offer its complete suite of Ethernet services in Albuquerque and Santa Fe in early 2015, with some elements potentially available before the end of this year.

The service suite, which tops out at 10 Gbps, aims to meet the needs of businesses, schools, hospitals, and other organizations requiring additional capacity, connectivity among disparate locations, or links to third-party data centers.

"Whether it’s an engineering firm sending digital blueprints, a law office backing up client records online, or a restaurant needing more Wi-Fi capacity, bandwidth is increasingly becoming the engine driving all businesses," said Shawn Adamson, vice president for Comcast Business in the Mile High Region. "This fiber expansion will help companies in Albuquerque to grow and expand their business, while driving competition, innovation and value for our customers."

Comcast's full network spans 140,000 miles across 39 states and the District of Columbia to enable service to 20 of the top 25 U.S. markets. A 100-Gbps backbone fiber-optic network supports local delivery of Ethernet service via Comcast's hybrid fiber/coax (HFC) network.

The operator was the first to offer Ethernet services certified according to Metro Ethernet Forum Carrier Ethernet (CE) 2.0 specifications; it also was the first to receive all three of the previous CE 1.0 certifications (MEF 9, 14, and 18). These services include:

Ethernet Private Line – point-to-point connectivity between two customer sites.
Ethernet Virtual Private Line – a point-to-multipoint connection that allows customers to tailor bandwidth, performance characteristics, and cost
Ethernet Network Service – multipoint-to-multipoint connectivity to connect organizations with high-bandwidth requirements and multiple locations across Comcast's network.
Ethernet Dedicated Internet – continuous, high-bandwidth connectivity between customers' LANs and the public Internet.

For more information on Carrier Ethernet equipment and suppliers, visit the Lightwave Buyer's Guide.