AT&T, CenturyLink Top Latest Ethernet Rankings

AT&T retained the top spot while market share is tightening among the top four providers on Vertical Systems Group’s (VSG) midyear 2019 Global Provider Ethernet Services Leaderboard.

The rankings remain unchanged from the year-end 2018 leaderboard, with Colt in second, followed by CenturyLink, BT Global Services, Orange Business, Verizon and NTT.

VSG calls its leaderboard the industry’s benchmark for multinational Ethernet network market presence, ranking companies that hold a 4 percent or higher share of billable retail ports at sites outside of their respective home countries.

“Network providers serving multinational enterprises continue to actively expand their Ethernet coverage globally,” said Rick Malone, VSG’s principal. “Customer demand for T1/E1 conversions and new Ethernet DIA connections are igniting growth in both existing and emerging markets. In response, providers are seeking more local partnerships to broaden their service delivery footprints.”

Cogent, Global Cloud Xchange, GTT, SingTel, T-Systems, Tata Communications, Telefonica Worldwide and Vodafone ranked in the Challenge tier, which includes companies with between 2 and 4 percent share.

Metro Ethernet Forum certification is recognized as a market differentiator for Ethernet providers. Providers on the leaderboard that have received MEF CE 2.0 certification as of this month are: AT&T, Colt, CenturyLink and Verizon; on the Challenge tier: Global Cloud Xchange, SingTel, T-Systems, Tata, Telefonica and Vodafone.

In addition, CenturyLink retained the top spot on VSG’s mid-year 2019 U.S. Carrier Ethernet Services Leaderboard. CenturyLink powered its way to the top spot in the year-end 2017 leaderboard after its acquisition of Level 3 Communications.

The rankings remain unchanged from the 2018 ear-end leaderboard with AT&T in second, followed by Verizon, Spectrum Enterprise, Comcast and Windstream. The roster moved from six to seven with Cox advancing from the Challenge tier.

VSG calls this an industry benchmark for measuring Ethernet market presence. Network providers must have 4 percent or more of the U.S. Ethernet services market to crack the leaderboard.

“In the first half of 2019 the U.S. Ethernet market showed steady port growth just above 5%,” Malone said. “The three Cable MSOs ranked on the leaderboard – Spectrum Enterprise, Comcast and Cox – had the highest port growth in this period, spurred in part by SD-WAN customer demand for Ethernet DIA connections to the public internet.”

Altice USA, Cogent, Frontier, GTT, Sprint and Zayo ranked in the Challenge tier, which includes providers with between 1 and 4 percent share of the U.S. retail Ethernet market.