* Cogent expands into Germany
Cogent Communications Group is continuing its expansion into Europe with the acquisition of rights to dark fiber and other network assets across Germany. The purchase will allow Cogent to offer high-speed Internet access and transport services in 14 German cities, including Hamburg, Frankfurt and Munich.
Cogent is the latest in a series of owners of the German network footprint. The company acquired the rights to these assets by merging with Symposium Omega, a holding company that raised $19.5 million from investors. Symposium Omega acquired the network from GLH, a German company that purchased the assets directly from Carrier1 after that company filed for insolvency in Germany.
The Carrier1 assets include a dormant network connecting 14 cities in Germany as well as all the gear needed to light the network, which was turned off when Carrier1 went into insolvency.
The acquisition of Carrier1’s German network comes on the heels of Cogent’s acquisitions of LamdaNet France and LamdaNet Spain in January. Cogent officials said they were able to purchase these European networks for “pennies on the dollar,” which will allow the company to continue offering its Internet services at low prices.
Cogent now offers Internet services in 10 European countries, including Germany, France, Spain, U.K., Belgium, Luxemburg, Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden and Switzerland. Cogent officials have said they are interested in expanding into Eastern Europe, too.
Cogent has 250 customers in Europe, including both service providers and enterprises. Having a footprint in Germany was critical for Cogent because Germany is the largest economy in the European Union and has the largest population base.
Acquiring Carrier1’s assets “allows existing LamdaNet France and LamdaNet Spain customers to have a termination point in Germany for point-to-point circuits,” says company spokesman Jeff Henriksen. “Cogent’s network and peering relationships have grown to the extent that we needed a larger presence in Germany.”
Cogent also provides high-speed Internet access in 30 metropolitan areas in the U.S. and Canada. The carrier targets large multi-tenant buildings in central business districts, and it has hooked up 850 such buildings so far.
The company has purchased several other distressed ISPs since its founding in 1999 including PSINet, NetRail, Allied Riser Communications, OnSite Access, FiberCity Networks, LamdaNet France and LamdaNet Spain.
Cogent is a publicly traded company, which has Cisco as one of its largest shareholders.
