zColo Launches Metro Interconnect

zColo, a Zayo Group Company, announced Tuesday the launch of Metro Interconnect, a new product offering extending the reach of its data center customers in large metro areas.

The product launch is in conjunction with the close of Zayo Group’s acquisition of AboveNet earlier this month.

Metro Interconnect uses dark fiber cross-connects to extend a customers reach from zColo sites to major in-market carrier hotels and data centers.  Traditional colocation providers deliver an in-suite connectivity ecosystem” that supports access only to the networks within the building. zColos Metro Interconnect offering extends the ecosystem” beyond the facility to the major traffic exchange locations in a given market.

Specifically, zColos Metro Interconnect extends access beyond the 1,000 cloud, financial, content, IP and carrier networks accessible within zColo buildings and delivers in-market access to more than 90 Carrier Hotels and data centers across 10 Tier 1 US metro markets.

So, for example, customers can establish a physical presence at zColo’s 600 South Federal site in Chicago and a virtual presence at 350 East Cermak, the city’s dominant traffic exchange facility,  through dark fiber cross-connects.  Customers benefit with increased power densities and lower pricing at the 600 South Federal facility while still maintaining an ability to access the services at 350 East Cermak, the company explained in a press statement.

The initial Metro Interconnect launch includes 12 zColo Interconnect colocation facilities in the following U.S. metro markets: New York City/Northern New Jersey, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Baltimore, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Seattle and Los Angeles.

 zColo is evaluating a phase two launch targeting remaining eight locations in other zColo markets, including  Las Vegas, Minneapolis, Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Nashville, Memphis and Pittsburgh.

 With Zayos dense metro fiber assets in the largest U.S. markets, we feel Metro Interconnect is a unique offering that replaces the need for customers to maintain a physical presence across multiple data center locations,” states Chris Morley, president of zColo.  Customers are now able to consolidate their colocation assets with a ‘virtual’ presence across the major points of presence in metro markets.”