United Fiber & Data, rock stars, plan low-latency fiber network from New York to Virginia

United Fiber & Data (UFD) has announced plans for a new fiber-optic network that will offer a redundant, highly available, low-latency path from New York City and its surrounding areas to Ashburn, VA. The popular route connects two important sites for Internet peering and high-bandwidth networking. The network will be differentiated by its diverse path between the two end points. Also by the fact that its investors include rock stars.

Founded in 2009, UFD says it has completed all the necessary planning and has secured rights of way for the first phase of construction, which will break ground on March 1. The company assrts its high-capacity, all-optical fiber cable network will deliver a complete suite of all-fiber networking and broadband services. UFD says its privately owned and operated infrastructure will provide customers with a reliable DWDM network capable of delivering services up to 100 Gbps.

The UFD network will span more than 300 miles between New York City and Ashburn and will interconnect with many of the key data center, carrier interconnect, and financial trading locations in the New York/New Jersey and northern Virginia areas. Between those two locations, the network will traverse diverse routes through New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland, bypassing the traditional I-95 route and instead stretching through the central Pennsylvania cities of Allentown, Reading, Lancaster, and York. From there, the network will travel to Frederick, MD, and into Ashburn.

UFD has incorporated both logical and physical diversity into its plan, dramatically increasing its reliability, the company claims. Despite the longer physical path, the network is designed to deliver the lowest latency possible thanks to what UFD describes as “some of the industry’s most advanced equipment.” The additional capacity will drive local and regional commerce and community access, offering more bandwidth flexibility for businesses along or near the route.

Major investors in the new network include three members of the multi-platinum band LIVE. (You know, these guys.) “The band members are dedicated to their hometown communities in Pennsylvania, and it is their intent to give back to this region that still supports them heavily,” said William Hynes, founder and member of the board of directors for UFD. “LIVE band members Chad Taylor, Patrick Dahlheimer, and Chad Gracey are honored to be part of this venture, as the new network will provide community access, increase job opportunities, and stimulate the local economy.”

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