AT&T Moves Up Ethernet Rankings as Level 3, Verizon Stand Firm

AT&T moved up a spot in the latest worldwide Ethernet provider rankings.

Vertical Systems Group announced its Global Provider Ethernet Leaderboard Thursday, concluding that AT&T has moved into third place behind two European heavyweights.

Orange Business Services of France and Colt of the United Kingdom took first and second, respectively.

The only change to the rankings since they came out six months ago is that AT&T leapfrogged BT Global Services for third. BT has slowly been dropping in the list since 2014, when it was second. U.S.-based Level 3 and Verizon remained at fifth and sixth.

Vertical Systems noted that the top three companies are working on APIs to orchestrate carrier Ethernet across software-defined networks. Colt, AT&T, Level 3 and Verizon are the only companies on the leaderboard to have earned a Metro Ethernet Forum CE 2.0 certification, which the study called a “competitive differentiator.”

“Global carriers are rolling out dynamic network services that provide enterprises with unprecedented levels of agility and reliability,” said Rick Malone, principal at Vertical Systems Group. “Ethernet is playing a critical role in emerging SDN-based architectures that will support the increasing demand for hybrid WANs, and high-speed data center and cloud connectivity.”{ad}

Last month, AT&T asserted its lead in the U.S. carrier Ethernet rankings once again. The leaderboard ranks businesses based on how many billable Ethernet ports outside of their home country comprise their network.