Lumen Technologies is partnering with networking startup Meter on an end-to-end networking solution to power AI-driven autonomous networks.

The tie up follows this week’s deal between the operator and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) centering around AI capabilities at the network edge.

The new partnership sees Lumen integrating its wide area network (WAN) with Meter’s local area network (LAN) for a solution soon available in the Microsoft Marketplace for Azure users.

The two firms framed the offering as a click to buy cloud service, spanning from edge to cloud and driven by AI.

Available via a single, AI-augmented procurement flow in Meter’s Connect portal, the WAN-to-LAN solution promises prompt deployment and unified visibility across features such as circuit health and installation metrics via Lumen.

“By integrating WAN and LAN into a single, seamless experience, we’re not just connecting networks, we’re connecting outcomes. This collaboration reflects our shared commitment to removing complexity and empowering enterprises to scale with confidence in the AI era,” said Kate Johnson, CEO of Lumen Technologies.

“Our partnership with Lumen unifies WAN and LAN into a single experience and extends our vision to simplify how enterprises connect. Together, we’re removing friction and enabling IT teams to focus on outcomes, not infrastructure,” said Anil Varanasi, co-founder and CEO of Meter.

Founded in 2015, Meter delivers a network-as-a-service (NaaS) platform made up of software and hardware for customers ranging from small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to larger enterprises.

OpenAI’s Sam Altman has been a key investor, having co-led a $35 million Series B round for the firm last year.

Most recently, in June 2025, Meter raised $170 million in a Series C round, with the start up currently valued at $1 billion.

HPE deal has that Juniper juice

The Meter merging follows on from Lumen’s tie up with HPE, which leverages the latter’s recent Juniper Networks acquisition.

Under the deal, Lumen’s edge infrastructure is integrated with HPE Networking, utilizing Juniper Networks MX Series Universal Routers across Lumen’s network for what was touted as low latency and high throughput for AI production purposes.

The firms stressed the security attributes of the venture, with multi-layered protection via Lumen Defender, and inline encryption and line-rate DDoS defense from HPE Networking.

Lumen is betting big on an AI-infused networking future, with its CTO previously telling SDxCentral to expect “the largest expansion of the internet in our lifetime.”

The operator revealed last year its AI investments are geared toward supporting a standing $5 billion in aggregate sales it had already booked from hyperscalers and more, and an opportunity toward an additional $7 billion in sales pipeline.

More recently, the company’s financials claimed considerable growth of its NaaS platform, with 1,500 NaaS enterprise customers at the end of its latest quarter, a significant 50% increase from where that number stood at the end of the previous quarter.