As the saying goes, if you build it, they will come. That certainly holds true for the high-capacity fiber networks that are clamoring to keep up with increasing bandwidth demands. As next-gen application usage grows, Everstream has been keeping pace by building a next-gen fiber network that now spans more than 25,000 route miles across 10 states.
Today’s demand for bandwidth comes from several fronts: data centers, enterprises, the metro backbone, and services like 5G.
At Everstream, we’re building not just for our customers’ present-day needs but to match their expected bandwidth needs over the next two decades. What those future applications will look like is anyone’s guess, but we’re taking into consideration the types of customers that will be served and the bandwidth they — both the customers and the applications — may require.
In many cities and metro areas, Everstream is densifying its network, building additional, much-needed capacity for enterprise-rich areas. In other regions, we’re building from scratch as we identify areas for future enterprise growth. And along the way, we’re building the capacity to accommodate wireless backhaul services for 5G and helping our partners drive broadband services to underserved areas.
By building a brand-new network, we can take advantage of the latest hardware, software and fiber to exceed quality of service (QoS) and service level agreement (SLA) requirements.
But how much capacity is enough?
Today’s fiber network standards call for 288- to 864-count fiber and upwards. For example, in the case of data centers that also are seeing an uptick in bandwidth requirements, 3,456-count fiber might be used.
While we’re overbuilding our network for tomorrow’s usage, we’re keeping a careful watch on how much capacity is being used. Given our current network utilization rate of 10%, we lead the industry in network availability, ensuring plenty of room for future growth.
Planning for the next 20 years means building in enough front-end capacity, and creating routes that are strategically designed, constructed and permitted in a way that supports their longevity and ability to be easily upgraded. The key is striking the right balance and our team of experts are doing just that.
Want to learn more about how fiber service providers are building for the next 20 years? Check out our latest article in Network Computing.