International bandwidth provider Zayo Group LLC says it has expanded its U.K. network to enhance service offerings for customers east of London. The new 53-mile fiber-optic network, which stretches to Basildon in Essex, doubles the reach of Zayo’s network in and around London.
This is Zayo’s second major investment in the U.K. in the last few months. In November, the company announced it would extend its network in the London and Slough areas to provide dark fiber backhaul to connect 21 BT phone and Ethernet exchange points.
Zayo already provides extensive connectivity in the Greater London area, connecting to more than 500 buildings in the region. The new fiber network equips Zayo with its own direct routes between these key locations and strategic points to the east: Stratford, a former Olympics site, with its content and media industry development; Basildon and Romford, where key trading venues are located; and Thurrock, with its mix of data centers and distribution hubs.
Zayo has had a limited presence in the Basildon and Romford areas previously; this expansion creates a deeper fiber footprint in the network east of London and makes Zayo’s full set of lit services available to the high demand areas of Thurrock and Stratford.
“The U.K. is a critical market for Zayo, and we are committed to investing in bandwidth-intensive regions like Basildon,” says Glenn Russo, Zayo’s executive vice president of corporate strategy and development. “The success of Zayo’s European business enables us to expand our reach in response to growing bandwidth demands from our U.S. and European customers.”
Zayo says the extended network will be fully operational in the second quarter of this year.
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