An impromptu fiber fest got underway this week as GTT Communications, Infinera, and Bluebird Network all announced network expansions within the U.S. The various announcements follow AT&T’s deal last month with venture capital firm BlackRock to deploy a multi-gigabit fiber network to 1.5 million customer locations using a commercial open access platform.

GTT, Ziply Extend Optical Infrastructure

GTT partnered with Ziply Fiber to extend broadband connection into the Pacific Northwest, establishing a new network point of presence (PoP) in Portland. The two companies linked in hopes to “serve the fast-growing data center market” in the city, according to the announcement.

The PoP provides an initial capacity of 400 Gb/s (400G) in the region, and through Ziply Fiber’s Silicon Forest fiber cross-connection service, GTT will offer additional customer options to connect in 11 data centers and the Hillsboro subsea cable landing station. Jim Delis, president for GTT's Americas Division, stated the PoP deployment will enable the network provider’s data center customers to link into its tier-one IP network.

Infinera Picked to Power Louisiana Network Upgrades 

Infinera deployed four 400G optical channels tracing a 220-mile intrastate route in Louisiana. In tandem, the Louisiana Board of Regents and the Board of Supervisors of Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College picked Infinera to upgrade the statewide Louisiana Optical Network Infrastructure (LONI).

LONI connects 38 universities and data centers within Louisiana to other research and educational networks in the U.S. Infinera stated the upgrades will increase LONI’s network capacity “by a factor of 10,” utilizing the company’s XTM Series open line system and GX Series transponders.

“As bandwidth continues its relentless growth driven by new high-speed applications such as 5G, [augmented reality], [virtual reality], and cloud services, legacy copper-based networks – such as DSL and cable – are simply not capable [of] meeting the bandwidth requirements,” Robert Shore, SVP of marketing at Infinera, told SDxCentral.

Shore added that the current fiber boom “reinforces Infinera’s focus on continuing to innovate and manufacture optical transport solutions that can help network operators effectively leverage their fiber deployments from the core of their network all the way to the very edge.”

Infinera also announced that its ICE6 solution was deployed along the trans-Pacific Unity Submarine Cable System connecting Japan and the U.S., doubling the capacity of that connection.

Bluebird Network Broadens Illinois Fiber Footprint

Bluebird Network completed a 126-mile fiber buildout in Illinois. The route connects the towns of Aurora, Dixon, DeKalb, Sterling, and Rock Falls to Bluebird’s network and services, and provides a “diverse route” to Chicago, the company stated.

Bluebird's management noted the deployment builds on its recently acquired middle-mile fiber network assets from Missouri Telecom, and expansion into Salina, Kansas, and  Waterloo, Iowa.

“Bluebird has no plans to slow down its fiber expansions any time soon,” Bluebird Network President and CEO Michael Morey stated in the release tied to its Kansas and Iowa expansion. “To foster even more growth and strengthen connectivity for businesses in the Midwest, we have builds underway for additional expansions coming online this summer.”

Those moves come on the heels of the AT&T/BlackRock JV that positions the newly created Gigapower entity to deploy fiber to 1.5M locations and boost AT&T's reach outside of its traditional 21-state footprint.

The deal also prompted a predication from Analysys Mason, saying the move further indicates “that the [U.S.] wireline market is entering a period of profound transformation that will leave it more aligned with the market structures seen in Europe.”