Metro Ethernet provider makes debut

NEWARK, N.J. - FiberCity Networks last week became the latest provider to enter the increasingly crowded metropolitan Ethernet services market, offering high-bandwidth services for businesses in multitenant buildings.

The company will try to set itself apart by offering more than just Internet access, which the company will deliver at 100M bit/sec. FiberCity's offerings also include private LAN interconnection, storage-area network services, server hosting, thin-client applications, and streaming and multicast IP video. FiberCity also offers SONET services.

FiberCity's offerings will compete with traditional high-speed carrier services such as T-1 and T-3 access, as well as against other metropolitan Ethernet offerings.

Multitenant properties are becoming a popular market for metropolitan Ethernet providers. Service provider Cogent Communications offers high-speed 'Net services to buildings in major markets, and IntelliSpace offers a range of multitenant building services, including high-speed Internet and VPN offerings.

Everest Broadband also recently announced an agreement with Metromedia Fiber Network that will let Everest begin offering metropolitan Ethernet services.

Aside from offering a variety of services, FiberCity is different from competitors in that its network operates at Layer 2, rather than Layer 3, says Daniel Flohr, FiberCity's CEO. He says that by operating at Layer 2, FiberCity can reduce its equipment costs and offer customers better security than Layer 3 equipment provides.

Currently, FiberCity is serving about 4.5 million square feet of commercial space. Within the next year, the firm plans to serve almost 200 buildings, covering about 100 million square feet, in major cities throughout North America.

"What we're doing is taking LAN thinking and applying it out to metropolitan LANs and national LANs," Flohr says.

FiberCity connects buildings to its network through fiber that it leases on long-term contracts from Metromedia Fiber Network. Each building is served by links providing about 4.8G bit/sec of connectivity. Within buildings, customers should get between 1G and 2G bit/sec. Flohr says the company's goal is to serve each desktop with at least 2M bit/sec of bandwidth.

The FiberCity network relies on Cisco equipment. FiberCity runs four Gigabit Ethernet lines and OC-12 for SONET services to each building on its network. The lines terminate at a Cisco switch in the building basement. Tenants of the building are then connected to the network by a Gigabit Ethernet local loop that terminates at a customer premises Cisco switch.

Because FiberCity uses spanning tree to detect the loss of a signal loss if a line goes down and reroutes traffic to a live line, Flohr thinks the company can provide near-carrier class service.

For companies requiring LAN connectivity between cities, FiberCity negotiates with third-party, long-haul providers for private bandwidth.

FiberCity's services begin at $795 per month for 100M bit/sec Internet access.

FiberCity: www.fiber-city.com