Integra Telecom To Pour $52 Million into Carrier Ethernet for Cloud 
In partial response to increased demand for Ethernet services that can support cloud and managed services, Integra Telecom will invest $52 million this year to leverage its fiber network to provide enterprise and carrier-class high bandwidth products and services.
In response to increased demand for Ethernet services that can support cloud and managed services, Integra Telecom will invest $52 million this year to leverage its fiber network to provide enterprise and carrier-class high bandwidth products and services.
Integra’s latest offering include two new Ethernet Services: E-line Ethernet Private Line (EPL) and Ethernet Virtual Private Line (EVPL), designed for the wholesale.
“These new Ethernet offerings and our continuing capital investment are complemented with additional investments… will accelerate Integra’s growth in the enterprise and wholesale carrier market segments,” said Integra’s CEO Tom Casey.
Integra’s fiber network provides enterprise customers the opportunity to [connect] their locations together, enabling cloud-based services.
Steve Zimba
Chief Marketing Officer
Integra Telecom /em>
“The reach of Integra’s fiber network provides enterprise customers the opportunity to outsource their Ethernet connectivity needs to Integra [which] enables them to extend their LAN to a WAN, connecting their locations together and enabling cloud-based services,” said Integra’s chief marketing officer Steve Zimba in a statement.
In the coming months, Integra plans to expand its Ethernet service area in order to connect its customers to more locations while also adding E-LAN services, Zimba added.
One telecom analyst said cloud computing’s continued success is tightly tied to the advent of Carrier Ethernet offerings.
Craig Clausen, executive vice president at New Paradigm Resource Group (NPRG), a strategic consulting and research firm within the communications industry told Carrier Ethernet News:
“Cloud computing was going nowhere fast and hanging around almost waiting for Ethernet to mature,” Clausen said, adding “SLAs provide business users with confidence in the essential access component of cloud computing. It’s probably the most important feature provided by carriers with Ethernet services.”
Integra’s EPL and EVPL Ethernet Services have received MEF 9 and MEF 14 certification. The MEF develops carrier Ethernet technical specifications and implementation agreements to promote interoperability and deployment of carrier Ethernet worldwide. MEF certification addresses the interoperability and performance issues confronted by service providers looking to deploy Carrier Ethernet. MEF certification assures compliance MEF specifications.
“Service providers are looking for ways to meet customer bandwidth and performance demands while reducing CAPEX and OPEX costs and Carrier Ethernet is a proven solution,” Nan Chen, MEF President
Integra operates an extensive fiber network in the western U.S, consisting of 5,000 long haul route miles and 3,000 metropolitan miles, serving 11 cities, and 1,500 fiber-served commercial buildings.
