Lumen Technologies is expanding its U.S. data center and cloud connectivity with Ethernet and IP services scaling up to 400Gbps across 16 major metro markets and more than 70 third-party facilities. The upgrade targets AI acceleration and multi-cloud demand, enabling enterprises to provision bandwidth in minutes, scale capacity dynamically, and pay only for what they use. The initiative includes support for high-performance connections to major cloud on-ramps while leveraging Lumen’s nationwide fiber backbone.
The expansion brings high-speed connectivity to Northern Virginia, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, San Jose, Seattle, and other metros, with San Antonio coming online later in 2025. Services include Ethernet On-Demand, Internet On-Demand, and Ethernet variants such as E-Line, E-LAN, and E-Access. By operating its own network, Lumen offers enterprises tighter control, lower latency (under 5 ms at the edge for 97% of U.S. enterprises), and direct access to more than 2,200 third-party data centers and 163,000 on-net customer sites.
The company is also pursuing a long-term buildout, with plans to reach 47 million intercity fiber miles by 2028. These investments aim to meet surging capacity requirements from AI, data-intensive workloads, and distributed cloud applications.
- Up to 400Gbps Ethernet and IP services across 16 metro markets
- Available at 70+ third-party, cloud-ready data centers
- Metro coverage includes Northern Virginia, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, San Jose, Seattle, and more
- On-demand services for Ethernet, Internet, and multipoint site interconnectivity
- Lumen network spans 2,200+ third-party data centers, 163,000 on-net sites, and <5 ms latency to edge
“This investment isn’t just about faster data center connectivity–it’s about creating the digital foundation for an AI-first economy,” said Ashley-Haynes Gaspar, Chief Revenue Officer at Lumen.
🌐 Analysis: Lumen’s move underscores how network providers are adapting to the AI boom by boosting metro data center connectivity and enabling flexible, usage-based models. The strategy aligns with similar expansions from rivals like Zayo and AT&T, who are also pushing 400G and beyond in metro and intercity backbones. With fiber buildouts planned through 2028, Lumen is positioning itself to be a key enabler of distributed AI and multi-cloud workloads, where high-capacity, low-latency networking is a prerequisite for enterprise adoption.
