Lumos Networks Lights Up Mid-Atlantic States with Fiber-Based, MEF-Certified Ethernet

CEN Feature (Jul 12 2012) Regional

1. 

   Lumos Networks has been in business for 115 years, and the carrier began providing cutting-edge Metro Ethernet services to its customers 11 years ago. Lumos recently upped its Ethernet game by earning its certification as a Carrier Class Metro Ethernet service provider from the Metro Ethernet Forum. As a result, Lumos has joined the “club” of only 195 officially certified companies worldwide.

   Passing the certification process with flying colors was easy because the carrier had been providing service very close to the standard, explains Craig Drinkhall, vice president of product management and engineering for Lumos Networks. But now, Lumos can bid on RFP's that require carriers to be certified.

   “Carriers almost always have certification as a requirement in their RFP’s and we are seeing it more and more in enterprises’ RFPs,” he says. “We didn’t want to be eliminated, especially since we were already doing what’s required.”

   Certification is only one of Lumos Networks’ many distinctions. The fiber-based carrier, which is headquartered in Waynesboro, VA, posted annual revenues of $200 million last year and employs nearly 600 people. Lumos serves 50,000 residential, enterprise and carrier customers across six Mid-Atlantic states, including Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. But it is Lumos Networks’ 5,800 route-mile fiber footprint and devoted customer service that sets the carrier apart from its competition in those states, says Drinkhall.

   “A lot of our footprint is rural in nature. To look at it you might not think immediately that areas like Harrisonburg, Lexington, or Charleston, WV, are fiber-rich, but that is exactly the case,” he adds.

   Hungry for Bandwidth

   In fact, Lumos’ fiber rings connect to more than 1,100 buildings and the carrier uses Ethernet over Copper (EoC) when necessary to reach an off-net building. The fiber rings provide data-hungry customers with a solid alternative to national providers, says Drinkhall. Demand for Carrier Ethernet-based transmission is exploding among Lumos’ medium-to-large enterprise customers, and there is tremendous demand for bandwidth from cellular carriers that are looking for Ethernet connectivity to their cell sites. Interexchange carriers use Lumos’ Ethernet services to connect nationwide business customers to multiple locations in the carrier's serving area, too.

   Among the vertical markets its serves, Lumos is seeing the most growth in the banking, healthcare, government, and education sectors, with video and imaging kicking up the demand for bandwidth. The need is so great that Lumos Networks recently tested a 100G network between Charleston, WV, and Roanoke, VA. The technology is on the carrier’s deployment schedule for later in the year, says Drinkhall.

   “We tested it because we are seeing such explosive demand for bandwidth and because we want to stay ahead of the technology curve,” he adds. “We have a new name since re-branding the company last fall, but we remain committed to being progressive in our technology and providing great products, services, and support.”

   Demand for bandwidth also is starting to pick up among businesses that provide professional services such as attorneys, accountants, and marketing agencies, he notes. Lumos Networks’ ability and willingness to truly listen to customers, learn what they need, and provide them with the right solution is what helps spread the word about the carrier’s cutting-edge networks and services, he says.

   “They realize that they don't have to look for a provider that is based hundreds of miles away, because they can get what they need right down the street,” says Drinkhall.

   Bookmark or Share this article

Login to comment