AT&T, Verizon, Level 3, Birch, Zayo all major players in U.S. fiber optic networks

Fiber optic networks play a key role in the evolution of telecommunications services as the increasing demand for data will require communications service providers and the owners of fiber optic networks to continue expanding infrastructure in terms of capacity and capillarity.

Given the size and the maturity of the U.S telecommunications market, the need for higher capacity fiber optic networks for both mobile and fixed telephony services is reflected in the near continuous expansion of infrastructure for fiber optic networks.

Among the most important providers of fiber optic networks in the U.S. are AT&T, Verizon Communications, CenturyLink, Frontier, Charter, Level 3 Communications, Birch and Zayo.

On the operator side, the main providers of fiber optic networks are AT&T, Verizon and CenturyLink. AT&T and Verizon have nationwide operations, while CenturyLink mainly operates fiber optic networks in the Midwest and the Northwest regions.

AT&T, which operates more than one million route miles of fiber optic globally, recently announced its GigaPower fiber optic networks currently connect more than 1 million locations across the country with a final goal of reaching more than 14 million residential and commercial locations with its metro fiber optic networks.

Rival operator Verizon recently unveiled plans to launch new fiber optic networks capable of offering broadband access speeds of up to 10 gigabits per second. However, Verizon has not provided details about the areas in which the fiber optic networks will be deployed. In March 2015, Verizon said that it was modernizing certain parts of its 10 Gbps fiber optic networks using equipment provided by Cisco and Ciena. Verizon currently operates more than 800,000 metro route miles.

Other key providers of fiber optic networks in the domestic market are are Level 3, Birch and Zayo.

Level 3 Communications has more than 55,000 fiber route miles and more than 30,000 on-net buildings across the country. The company has fiber optic networks in almost every state and also has a significant presence in the subsea fiber optic network market. Level 3’s subsea fiber optic networks link the U.S. with Europe, Central America, Latin America and Asia.

Birch has recently launched its fiber optic networks in 12 new cities across the country, expanding its on-net fiber building footprint to some 320,000 buildings. Birch’s metro fiber optic networks, which support speeds of 1 Gbps, was recently made available in Atlanta; San Antonia, Dallas, Houston, Austin and El Paso, Texas; Boston; Chicago; Los Angeles and San Diego, California; Miami; and Washington, D.C. The company also confirmed plans to continue to expand its fiber optic networks in tier-one and tier-two markets nationwide. Birch currently operates more than 31,000 fiber route miles in 22 states across the nation.

Meanwhile, Zayo owns and operate an 85,500-mile network in the U.S. and Europe. The fiber optic networks provider also has a presence in the subsea fiber optic networks market with a subsea cable linking the U.S. with Europe.

In the subsea fiber optic networks segment, the United States has a significant number of subsea cables linking North America with the rest of the world. More than 65 international subsea links to fiber optic networks have landing stations in the United States, which is key for domestic telecommunication operators and service providers with global ambitions.

In terms of long-haul fiber optic networks, the United States has a very dense network with a large number of deployments nationwide, but especially in the coastal areas and the New England. However, the absence of long-haul fiber networks is perceived in certain areas including the Upper Plains states and the four corners regions at the intersection of New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado and Utah.